Storm

January 16th, 2026, 65x110cm, Charcoal and White Chalk on Hand Toned Paper

I had four weeks to work on this figure, so I wanted to make it more than a simple academic drawing. Behind the figure, the landscape of rural New Mexico (my home state) stretches away into the distance.

NM had been on my mind during recent months. I have watched with a heavy heart while increasing intimidation and violence affected everyday people (particularly immigrants, trans populations, and homeless populations) in the name of "law and order." According to the Deportation Data Project, ICE made 1,853 arrests in NM during 2025, and less than half of those arrested had any criminal convictions. Although I am grateful that none of my friends or family members have been arrested, I do perosnally know people who have been affected and intimidated by ICE activity - the kinds of people who live in those forgotten trailers that appear as just a speck on the horizon line, or who simply car-sleep out in the desert. I am watching a kind of storm unfold on the horizon even while life goes on as normal for white, cis, middle class Americans who often consider themselves safe, when in fact a landscape of violence inevitably impacts us all.

Still, the NM desert has always thrived and bloomed when a storm comes in. I have no doubt that we will manage this time as well.