Enrico Richard Gomez

Enrico Richard Gomez, Edelweiss: Southernmost, Ka Lae, Hawaii, Chrysoprase, Tiwaz (American Sunset Series), 2019, watercolor, water-soluble pencil, marble dust, and acrylic on paper, 8 x 10 in., sheet size.

Enrico Gomez mines Native American, European, and New Age mythologies, probing the esoteric in terms of shadow and light. With Cuervos I.II and Los Cuervos, he adapts abstract composition to the story of Crow and her fascination with her own shadow: Crow kept looking at her shadow and scratching and pecking at it until it woke up and ate her, an outcome which might deter the overthinking of one’s art. Black geometric forms are so dark the corners disappear, implying that the inky portals are simultaneously dimensional and flat, just as Crow can double, shape-shift, and bend physical laws. The ebony forms trap darkness flowing from voids that welcome the viewer into Crow’s wisdom.

Also offering guidance, Edelweiss: Southernmost, Ka Lae, Hawaii, Chrysoprase, Tiwaz overlays and splices together chrysoprase, a bright green quartz that symbolizes happiness, enterprise, and prudence; a certain sunny Hawaiian seascape; and the runic warrior Tiwaz, named for the Norse god of law and justice. Edelweiss, the sturdy white flower symbolizing deep love, loyalty, and devotion, hover protectively over all these positive things in the most effective way known to magic: It is invisible.

Part of Passing Bittersweet, a 2020 exhibition at the Williams Center Gallery. Find more of Enrico Richard Gomez’s work on his website.