Ground Register: Spiral / North, 2019 Gouache and site material on panel
42 × 32 in.
In Ground Register: Spiral / North (2019), Josephine Halvorson renders a section of ground where a spiral of pale stones encircles small plants, their greens and burgundies vivid against the reddish-brown earth. Executed in gouache and site material on panel, the work includes a north-pointing arrow beneath the image, anchoring the scene to a precise orientation. The spiral form recalls both Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty and the broader history of land art, while also evoking the spiral’s recurring presence in nature as a symbol of growth, cycles, and continuity. Halvorson transforms direct observation into a tactile, resonant record, using the full range of paint’s capacities to convey the material presence and layered significance of place.