The Modern Matrix / Mexico / Summer Art Catalogue

Highways of the Heart

THE MODERN MATRIX

After a stint in Mexico, I’ve been slowly transitioning back to the north — the land of structured ambition, self-made momentum, and endless productivity. As the days pass, I feel myself slipping into a rhythm that isn’t entirely mine—like the wheel’s chasing me and time is shrinking.

Amid everything unfolding in the world today, realigning with one’s purpose feels increasingly urgent. Without that grounding, we risk being swept up in the relentless scroll of clashing realities—from mindless entertainment to global tragedies—leaving us paralyzed, as if plugged into Matrix-like pods.

It takes everything I’ve got to not tip over into that river of daily news. I’m all for keeping informed and up to date on what is current, but I’m also invested in protecting my inner landscape. The struggle to stay grounded amid global overwhelm is real. And so it takes everything I’ve got to reach for the things and tools that remind me of who I am and what I’m here to do.

And when I return to myself, the horrors of the world loosen their grip a little, and I’m better able to keep fear at bay. In that space, I begin to cultivate a different, richer feeling—one that speaks truth, nurtures, and heals, both individually and collectively. Reclaiming that sense of agency gives me hope that I can contribute something of substance, both on the surface and at deeper levels.

MEXICO

This spring, a surprising turn of events led me to the mysterious coast of Puerto Escondido, as well as to the city of Oaxaca, a place rich and refine in food, art, and quiet magic.

I spent time there working on a project compiling my father’s writing into an art book. The experience still lingers in my memory, quietly pulling me back. The sea, the mountains, and even the dry lands in between each hold their own powerful draw.

Though my time in Oaxaca City was brief, I found myself seamlessly slipping into its enchanting rhythm. Serendipity became a frequent companion as I wandered through unfamiliar lands.

I met new friends who felt remarkably familiar. And unexpectedly reconnected with old ones, from a different chapter and corner of Mexico, whom I hadn’t seen in nearly twenty years. Having many meaningful connections happen so organically in such a small window of time struck me as special and deserving of my attention. And so I’m doing my best to nurture these friendships, taking it as a sign: these are my people.

I’m grateful I followed the quiet nudges that led me to this far-off place, on my April birthday. Its magic and good company still echo and keeps me lit up from the inside. A heartfelt thanks goes to Gabriel Safdie for making this memorable artist residency possible, allowing me to dedicate focused time to my father's writing in the loveliest of inspiring places. I am eternally appreciative!

PIECES REMEMBERED

The Sea

Living by the ocean, its sounds linger into one’s consciousness. The crashing waves, the constant rhythmic tremors of the earth as the water meets the ground, sends its reverberating rumble travelling beneath me…through my sleeping hours, through my waking day.

The Land and Its Creatures

This place is full of mystical nature—alive with presence, revealing its power the moment I arrive. I spent my first day grappling with vertigo. As the world around me spun and slid and turned upside down, I couldn't help but feel THIS paradise has edge - an initiation perhaps, or a form of recalibrating to this new place, this wild land.

Puerto Escondido is nature for me, with its furry and feathery creatures weaving in and out of my day. I take my cue from my host: to try not to kill anything — bugs, cockroaches, tarantulas, scorpions, unidentifiable creatures — but instead to gently move or encourage them out of the casita and back into the wild. I like this way of being. I can feel it softening me, and my surroundings seem to approve. So perhaps we'll all get along.

Jumping Beans & Dreams

I had a dream about a jumping bean who was a little friend of the family—like a pet, a strange cross between a dog and a bug. I suspect the Oaxacan otherworldly, supernatural qualities were seeping in. 😉

Earlier that same day, I had spoken to a woman and shared how my mother had received a jumping bean in the mail when I was a child. She had apparently planted it in the indoor garden where I grew up. This woman, a very special one, told me she had not seen one in ages and that it was a bean with an insect in it and when you shook it, it would jump. What!?! This completely blew my mind. I must have heard of this as a child, but did something so remarkable really slip from my memory?

That night, the mysterious, ethereal bean I was told about, visited me in my night time slumber. 🫘 What unspoken magic did it offer up, simply by being nearby throughout my childhood, I wondered. What unspoken enchantment did it / does it weave - an invisible bean stalk into a world where animal and plant literally become one.

SUMMER 2025 ART CATALOGUE

Thank you for accompanying me as I revisit the otherworldly highlights of my Winter/Spring journey. Returning to the world of the north and to the here and now, I would like to offer you not quite something concrete, but something semi-concrete—and potentially concrete, if you like. 😉 A selection of my paintings have been gathered and put into a PDF art catalogue. These creations are objects steeped in my world and imaginings—and if one happens to speak to you, feel free to reach out. Most are available and could very well take on a tangible presence in your world too. Over the years, the intangible essence of moments, places, experience and states of being has profoundly influenced and shaped my work.

If you’d like to receive a PDF art catalogue featuring some of my available paintings from the Interstellar / Walls and Windows series - paintings that emphasize the importance of finding balance in an increasingly technology-dominated world, please fill out the form linked below. It would be my pleasure to email you the Summer 2025 Art Catalogue.

https://www.veronasorensen.art/available-paintings  

Thanks so much! And keep on keepin’ connected, creative and compassionate!

With much affection, Verona