This exhibit at Poissant Gallery, Houston, Texas was a collaboration between Joyce Joe and Marjorie Moore, September-October, 2008. The two artists followed their individual idiosyncratic ways of working by choosing the strange and bizarre plant, Night - Blooming Cereus (Cereus greggi), as their primary focus. This plant is native to southern New Mexico, southeastern Arizona, west Texas and northern Mexico. The plant blooms only at night with the flowers lasting only about six hours after which time they droop and deteriorate. In the summer the plant looks lush, by winter it is dry and looks dead…but with spring rains it comes to life once again.

This plant which blooms while humans sleep unfolds its drama to the night. The mystery of this flower life cycle that is so short- lived intrigues us as a phenomena of nature. We can only imagine the ‘six hours of fame’ the plant enjoys.

With this information the artists formulated both a wall installation and individual works. Jo is a ceramic artist, Moore a painter. They have followed in the footsteps of their botanical artist predecessors with their interest in defining and redefining plant life.
Each has a personal story to tell about this plant, together they create a blended narrative.