34 Malia Jensen: [Sculpture] Imprint

34. Malia Jensen for: All Classical’s Artist Anthology: 40 Creatives of the Pacific Northwest (Volume 1).

When Malia Jensen shared with me a formative animal encounter, I was transported to the artist’s childhood home, between the mountains and the sea, in rural Oregon. The scene is dreamlike: A quiet meadow sloping towards a creek. Alongside it, a dense mixture of fir trees and conifers climb the hillside, a place where Malia spent much of her time. On her way into the woods she’d visit a crabapple tree at the edge of her path. Amid the tall grass still studded in beads of dew, she’d find the outlines of recently sleeping deer, who had just been there, their forms still imprinted in the damp grass, encircling the trunk. 

There was no encounter beyond this quiet acknowledgment. The deer never revealed themselves beyond the imprints beneath the tree. But this quiet watching felt meaningful, built on trust. When she tells me the story, I can’t help but visualize the shapes of deer in grass, a stunning image that celebrates a respect for the natural world. A daily understanding between the child and the animal, one that seems to say, I see you, I know you’re here.