• Media Ceramic tile with screen-printed glazes, welded angle-iron frame, mortar, black grout, extruded polystyrene backing (Kerdi-Board)
• Size 44 × 28 inches
• Year 2026

Notes:

Work using tiles made at Aviario Studio in Portugal.

Sometimes I wonder which side of the plane my parents sat on when they immigrated to California in 1976.

If they were seated on the left side, their first view of North America may have been the coastline curving toward San Diego, possibly even terrain across the border near Tijuana, and then the rising ridges of the Santa Ana Mountains, including Santiago Peak, the highest point in Orange County.

If they were seated on the right side, they may instead have noticed the high wall of the San Gabriel Mountains, the suburban grid of the Orange County basin, and—on a clear day—the dark shape of Santa Catalina Island floating offshore beyond the Los Angeles basin.

However, if strong Santa Ana winds were present that day, the entire view might have flipped. High winds at John Wayne Airport can reverse the landing direction, diverting aircraft from the typical southbound approach on Runway 19 to the less common northbound landing on Runway 1.

I like to think migration stories are full of these tiny binaries that accumulate into something complex, beautiful, and physical. Right becomes left. The grid flips. And events are set into slightly different motion.

Thanks to @knkcontemporary for including this piece in the 2026 California Ceramics Invitational, on view in SF through March.