Horizon: Ancient and Young Observers (v.1) and Horizon: Ancient and Young Observers (v.2) are inspired by the environment and companion species that guide how Watt moves through the Pacific Northwest. Site-specific, doubled relational words create an overlapping call and response, reverberating linguistically and visually throughout the broad color washes. The work brings an ephemeral, atmospheric layer to an ongoing conversation in Watt’s work about the expansiveness of horizon lines. The artist writes “the sunrise and its light observe us, as we similarly observe and seek its glow and touch. There is an intimacy and connectedness in this exchange which includes more than human entities.”
The colors are a collaboration of hands and materials, drawn from the artist’s and printers’ experiences with sunrises and sunsets. Silver leaf amplifies the misty legibility of the fading letters as the artist continues to explore the nature of light. Its shimmering highlights “ANCIENT” and “YOUNG” as the odd pair out, following a line of questioning with a generational bend. This call and response extends across time, back to past generations and forward to future generations.
