Sedimentary rock is deposited at the Earth’s surface and is derived or ground down from preexisting rock. It is a completely recycled geologic product made from materials that have been weathered or eroded and then compressed by hydrologic or atmospheric processes over eons. Sandstone is the sedimentary rock that composes the vast mesa of Mexican Hat and Muley Point. This environment was once a shallow ocean and has been carved out by water’s incomparable force thousands of years. I wandered through this ancient landscape and found the indentations of tinajas (basins) pocketing the sandstone boulders. These pools blossom after a rainfall and provide the desert’s creatures with life-giving waters. I was fascinated by these basins, they were nurturing, provisional, and formulaic. They grow because of the lichens, who slowly eat away at the sandstone.

Over a period of 4 days - from sunrise to sunset - I grind into a sandstone boulder to create a tinaja as a small sculpture and offering to catch rainwater, providing another watering hole for the reticent desert life. Although this was an unecessary act, it felt important. My attempt at creating a tinaja in a such a short period speaks to human futility and a timescale shift that I had never experienced or thought of before. It was one of the first moments I experienced my brevity, and where I really questioned my lifelong desire to leave or make a mark. While I was out there grinding on the stone I made a promise to myself and the Earth that I would only make marks that fostered life.