By Debra Herrick
Not everyone knows the mathematical equation that creates the Fibonacci spiral, but most will marvel at its precision — how it organizes wilderness into elegant patterns. In late summer, golden barrel cactus flowers bloom at Taft Gardens & Nature Preserve in Ojai, creating a crownlike ring near the top of the cactus. Attracted by this beautiful order, pollinators ensure the cactus’s survival in a dance of nature and symmetry.
In this space between order and chaos thrives artist Madeleine Eve Ignon MFA ’19, a lecturer in the College of Creative Studies, who immersed herself at Taft Gardens during a nine-month artist residency. Blending painterly gestures with graphic elements, Ignon embraces and organizes disarray in her artwork to capture the dissonance of modern communication.
Madeleine Eve Ignon MFA ’19 - Photo by Marc Alt
belly 1 (bottle tree), 2024, digital photograph; Ignon
belly 2 (beach), 2024, digital photograph; Ignon
belly 3 (canvas), 2024, digital photograph; Ignon
It was particularly urgent for her to photograph her belly isolated behind a bottle tree in the garden that has a bulge that resembles a big pregnant belly. She found herself captivated by “this funny way” her roundness echoed elements of her surroundings, and captured this sense of isolation in various settings like the bottle tree. “I did a couple more on the beach and behind a log … just the belly, to sort of paint an homage to my belly. (And it’s crazy that this creature was in there the whole time. And now she’s out.)”
Throughout Ignon’s residency, her growth has paralleled that of the gardens. “It’s been amazing to be here in this incredible garden,” she says, “seeing myself blooming in the same way, being in my body in a garden space.” The seasonal changes — “a huge spring bloom in the last few weeks … it was amazing to go into the garden, catch a glimpse of something blooming” — have mirrored her own process of “gestation, hibernation and fullness.”
Photo by Alexandra Nicklin
Beyond Taft's cultivated gardens and grounds lies almost 200 acres of California open space protected by a conservation easement with the Wildlife Land Trust. The easement provides connectivity and safe passage for wildlife who live among the surrounding protected lands.
In her studio, Ignon taped keywords that captured this period of change and new life: “sanctuary, oasis, refuge, Eden, gestation, spaciousness, bigness.” These touchstones have helped shape her work, along with a phrase that reflects her evolving view of motherhood and self: “hold on and let go.” This duality, she says, speaks to her role “not just as a person in the world, but especially as a parent, as a mother.”
Her exploration of motherhood marks a shift in her practice but also reflects the themes she has always pursued. She continues to navigate the tension between clarity and confusion, order and chaos, through what she calls “the language and process of mashup.”
Inspired by “the poetry” of her environment, Ignon’s work captures a complex portrait of growth — for herself, her family and her art.
