In 1995, on the small Caribbean island of Montserrat, there began a series of volcanic eruptions that devastated the everyday lives of about 9000 residents. From a safe distance of 50 miles, on the neighboring island of Nevis, where we have a second home, my husband and I (and now our daughter) watched plumes of ash and heard of evacuations and relocations to England. In March 2004 I was able to visit the restricted zone of Montserrat and saw first hand the city of Plymouth buried in ash.

These profound images of simultaneous destruction and creation have deeply affected my recent work. In the ash layers of Montserrat lie vestiges and ruins of perception coupled with a lingering sense of history and home.