IRENE HARDWICKE OLIVIERI
Honey in the Desert 2024

Honey in the Desert opens August 30 and runs through September 21. In addition to paintings, Irene will be showing three dimensional animals and people created from cholla cactus skeletons, ponderosa pine and juniper. While hiking in the wilderness of New Mexico Irene gathers tree cholla cactus skeletons. After making some creatures out of the local cholla (Cylindropuntia imbricata) she decided to look for larger cactus skeletons and last winter went to the Sonoran Desert in Arizona to collect teddy bear cholla skeletons. (Cylindropuntia bigeloveii) She searches for the dead cholla in the desert, brings them home, carefully cleans and sands the thorns off and uses them to create people and animals. My cousin is a kinkajou features a wild desert girl with a pet coati in one hand and in the other hand a special satchel filled with all she will need to explore the desert, fresh fruit, plant press, collecting jars, books, sketchpads, pencils, paints and brushes. Her shoulders are strong in their teddy bear cholla shapes, her cholla legs are powerful as are her painted ponderosa pine boots.