Vessels
An understanding of the work comes through your senses. Form is given to abstracted figures or surrogates in the guise of empty vessels. The visual fragility of the cloth in my work contributes to associations of membrane, veneer and permeable skin, sometimes bruised and vulnerable, sometimes misshapen and marked upon. Like skin, cloth holds the wear and tear of time through stretching, abrasion, and sagging. I see my work as abstracted figures, whether as flat planes or as sculpture. They are constructed as emotional surrogates; empty vessels, thin skinned, splayed out, hung up, tattooed.
Bruised. 6 vessels, each vessel is approximately 72”x28”x12”. cotton muslin, dyed, printed, thread, beeswax
The visual fragility in the cloth contributes to the associations of skin as membrane, bruised, worn, and vulnerable. It evokes pathos and empathy. Like skin, cloth is absorptive and can be pricked with needle and stitched with thread. I bring to the surface what stalks beneath the veneer; stresses that seep through our subconscious, like seeping though our skin, are held within the body and manifested as disease or discomfort. I choose the colors of pink and purple paired with wax and thread to show the physicality and emotionality of the loss and discomfort we experience as we go through life. Emotional layers are build up, like the building up of sediment, through force and pressure until an eruption occurs and becomes manifest on the surface.
Corpus 66"x16"x8" cotton muslin, embroidery, printed, beeswax, front view
This "body" bag was my first foray into the idea of bag as empty vessel or repository for life's experiences. The division of the markings from the top of the bag was to create the idea of head and torso, an abstracted figure. I applied beeswax as a material to create the idea of skin in its translucency and permeability.
Corpus side view
Corpus top view detail