Heather Hancock

Project Overview
VISTA: Desert Geometry is a site-responsive diptych created for a healthcare setting, rooted in the client’s local landscape. The work draws from the Empire Inland Desert, translating native plant forms and terrain into a layered, abstract composition.

Context
The brief called for artwork that reflected regional identity while offering visual calm and interest within a busy clinical environment. The surrounding desert ecosystem—particularly soapweed, hummingbird mint, and California poppies—served as both reference and inspiration.

Approach
Desert geometries emerge through clustered forms and rhythmic repetition. Fine glass stringers create a field of delicate linework suggesting windblown grasses, while textured concrete hills layer and recede to evoke depth and distance. The combination of glass inlay and concrete balances shimmer and solidity, movement and stillness.

Outcome
The completed diptych introduces a quiet sense of motion and place into the space. Subtle shifts in texture and light reward close viewing, offering moments of visual pause and engagement for patients, staff, and visitors navigating the healthcare environment.