‘leaving the peak where it is’ [fir/pine cone extract and EPDM on paper, 2020] by Charlotte Eta Mumm
Each 75 × 110 cm, serial work, 10 pieces
During a two-month residency in the Upper Valais (CH), the artist went on long winter hikes. The palette was reduced to what was present: white (snow), grey (stone), brown (fir cones/trees). She began collecting fir cones, drawn to their scale-like surface. Back in the studio, she realised their form already felt complete. What could be added without destroying them or becoming cliché?
While washing the cones, she discovered they released a deep maroon colour. She started boiling them to distill concentrated ink. The brown tone carries a vivid depth, intensifying in layers or where it dries in pools. The medium allowed her to reflect on the Alpine landscape and her own state of mind. Arriving with mixed feelings and a fear of isolation, she instead felt the pressure lift. Facing the vast Rhône Valley and the Alps, she felt small but in relation, and precisely in that smallness, her inner space expanded.
www.charlottemumm.com / @charlottemumm
