As an artist, I draw upon the notion of palimpsest in my art-making.  Historically, palimpsests were scrolls or books, from which text had been erased, scraped, or washed off so that the surfaces could be used again for new text.  

 

In a contemporary art context, the process of creating a palimpsest connotes memory, fragmentation, and dissonance as traces of early stages emerge and interact to suggest new meaning in juxtaposition.  I create works that recall palimpsests by incorporating fragments of text, erasing, and adding new layers to communicate the experience of memory, meaningful connections over time, and records of passage through space and personal geographies experienced in the Southwest.

 

  - Julie Nocent-Vigil