The visitors to my show at Pinon Real Estate Gallery for Salida’s annual Art Walk were numerous and lively. It was heartwarming for me to see how engaged they were, taking the time to really LOOK at the Joomchi artwork. There was a genuine interest that sparked a number of questions.

One, in particular, intrigued me: “Why does your artwork have numbers instead of names?”

I enjoy the fact that people who look at my artwork can form their own interpretations for what they see. They can lose themselves in the colors and textures of the Hanji (mulberry) paper and reach their own conclusions.

As I am working in the studio, I am relying on my intuition and the relationship of the forms I create by fusing and shaping the Hanji paper. In those moments, words and language recede. It is all in the relationship of my hands and what is happening with the paper.

Using numbers to title my work is intentional. There is a mysterious quality that keeps people captivated. From my perspective, once a name is attached to an artwork a door closes, bringing a finality to what could otherwise be infinite interpretations of the abstract forms.

When the artwork is purchased, the new owners are certainly welcome to name it if they choose. In that way it becomes even more their own.