Holli Harmon: The Nature of Clouds

On view January 2021 - March 2022

Experience art from the outside-in with this new exhibition, designed to be viewed from both the sidewalk and inside the gallery during visiting hours. As of December 2021, Harmon has transformed her installation into a winter forest scene.

Photo: George Rose

Photo: Mary Ince

Photo: Lauren Sharp

Photo: Mary Ince

Photo: Lauren Sharp

Photo: Mary Ince

Photo: Lauren Sharp

As the saying goes, all clouds have silver linings. The Wildling Museum of Art and Nature is kicking off 2021 with an invitation for the public to experience art from the outside-in during its ongoing public closure due to state and local Covid-19 public health mandates for indoor museums.

In the museum’s new Michele Kuelbs Tower Gallery installation, Holli Harmon: The Nature of Clouds, artist Holli Harmon’s immersive work centers around a Norfolk Island Pine tree floating beneath bright blue, cumulus cloud-filled skies. Large chandelier crystals hang suspended by invisible thread from ceiling to floor in a brilliant rain shower as plants are suspended throughout at varying heights. These plants – made up of kokedama moss balls – are planted with coleus, spider plants, and various succulents. Centered beneath the suspended crystals and plants are three weathered eucalyptus tree stumps, their faces covered with mirrors to reflect back the sky and patterns above. The exhibition will be on view through fall 2021.

Holli Harmon: The Nature of Clouds, Installation view, Photo: Mary Ince. — *Holli Harmon: The Nature of Clouds*, Installation view, Photo: Mary Ince.

Clouds have been an inspiring source material for Harmon since 2016 when she first began her work on The River’s Journey exhibition project, exploring the Santa Ynez River and examining all elements of the water cycle. “I learned that this transpiration circle begins and ends in the clouds – water’s highest source,” says Harmon.

Harmon’s process included research in all its forms, from scientific to poetic. She said she became particularly inspired by 19th century British meteorologist Luke Howard’s cloud classification system, as well as cloud poetry by writer Johann Goethe and contemporary poet Mark Strand.

“This current installation is my newest interpretation of the transpiration of water from earth, to plants, to sky,” says Harmon. “The work is partially inspired by author Richard Hamblyn’s book, The Invention of Clouds: How an Amateur Meteorologist Forged the Language of the Skies, about early meteorologist Luke Howard.”

The added plants in installation were born out of a new fascination with the Japanese floral art form of kokedama, or string gardens. “Through quarantine, these literally became my ‘growing’ obsession and the perfect foil for the idea of water transpiration from earth to plant to sky to cloud to rain.”

The Wildling Museum invites viewers to share photos of their experiences with the new installation and tag the museum on social media at @wildlingmuseum or email info@wildlingmusuem.org with any images they wish to share.

About Holli Harmon

Artist Holli Harmon, Photo: Kerrie Smith.

Holli Harmon earned her master’s degree from San Diego State University. She has attended Santa Barbara City College for life drawing and printmaking classes as well as the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, MA and Sedona Arts Center in Sedona, AZ.

In 2016, she had a major exhibition of portraiture at the Elverhøj Museum in Solvang and in 2017, the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History acquired one of her works. Harmon joined artists Nicole Strasburg, Connie Connally, Nina Warner, Libby Smith, and Pamela Zwehl-Burke to create The River’s Journey project, documenting the Santa Ynez watershed in 2018 at the Wildling Museum, Sullivan Goss Gallery, the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art, and Santa Barbara City Hall. She currently resides in Santa Barbara, CA.

For more information about Holli Harmon’s work visit: www.holliharmon.com.