In Wonderland

Running away from my terminal illness and into the childhood memories I became Alice in the New Yellowstone Wonderland. I was inspired by David Attenborough’s film for the BBC, entitled, Yellowstone: Battle for Life as well as The Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carrol.

I was Alice and I was looking through the Yellowstone’s geysers—the Windows to the Earth. I dreamed and hoped in fantasy of Disneyland and Wonderland.

This super-volcano territory felt like home to me, open to all and endlessly ephemeral. I became fascinated with the Mammoth Hot Springs geyser mountain. Here, many terraces and mineral-rich waters full of microorganisms change color and shape constantly while going through cycles of activity and dormancy. These ever-changing structures called Minerva Terraces became my subject to explore through painting, different every time I entered the physical and psychological space. The experience of translating the meaning of place into the images of Minerva Terraces constructed connections and encouraged wonder. I dreamed and hoped in fantasy of Disneyland and Wonderland.

“In these deeply hued landscapes, Wezyk weaves fantasy and reality by integrating interpretations of Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland" characters within the sublimely haunting and painterly landscapes of America's Yellowstone National Park. These inventive scenes evoke a paradox between beauty and danger serving as a universal metaphor for the balance and wonderment of life's struggles, fascinations and curiosities.”
Erin Dziedzic, Savannah College of Art and Design,
Lacoste, France, October 2011; Savannah, GA January 2012