"Grain of the Earth"
Isadora Jackson’s "Grain of the Earth" series has been thoughtfully exhibited across multiple venues, highlighting the dynamic and evolving nature of her artistic practice. This body of work, which transforms the desert landscape into an abstract celebration of color and form, has resonated across both group and solo presentations.
The series first appeared as part of The Desert was Red and Red the Dust was Raised, a group exhibition at the Las Cruces Museum of Art in New Mexico, running through March 23, 2024. Curated by Leslie Moody-Castro, the show brought together five female artists living and working in the Las Cruces and El Paso border region: Sharbani Das Gupta, Zoe Spiliotis, Laura Turón, Amy Vensel, and Isadora Jackson. As colleagues, these artists have built a creative community shaped by their shared environment, and the exhibition explored how the literal landscape serves as a common thread—whether as a reference, a visual language, or simply a grounding location.
Interview with the Curator Lesly Moody-Castro.
Curational presented via video.
Following its success in Las Cruces, the exhibition traveled to the Carillon Gallery on the TCC Campus in Fort Worth, TX, where it was reimagined as And the Desert was Red and Red the Dust was Raised. Again curated by Moody-Castro, this iteration continued to challenge the boundaries of structure and abstraction, with Jackson's work offering a compelling reflection on the desert's dual nature of fragility and endurance. Her use of dyed, sewn, and layered rice paper, suspended in space, invited viewers to engage with the landscape as a living, shifting entity.Walkthrough of the Carillon exhibition. Link to the article at Carillon Gallery.
In addition to these group exhibitions, Jackson's Grain of the Earth series is also featured in a solo installation at Paradox Immersive Art Gallery in El Paso, TX, running from May 2024 through February 2025. This installation expands on the series' central themes, utilizing video and rice paper to create an immersive environment that blurs the lines between form and ephemerality. By combining moving imagery with the tactile, organic qualities of her materials, Jackson invites viewers to experience the desert not as a static place but as a vibrant, ever-evolving canvas.
Throughout its various presentations, Grain of the Earth invites a reconsideration of the desert as more than a barren expanse. Through vivid color, fluid shapes, and thoughtful abstraction, Jackson redefines the landscape as a place of emotional depth, possibility, and continuous transformation.