What the Body keeps
The repetition of mark making on cloth, delicate and small openings twined in waxed linen, weavings splayed like animal hides, these works represent the abstracted body.
The meaning in these works comes from the deliberative and rhythmic processes with the interaction of materials. It is through these conscious acts of making that create a sense of intimacy within the work.
Healing Fields 65"x34"x2" cotton muslin, wood, screen printed, with textile inks, embroidery The diptych arranged close together and framed by wood created an association of looking through windows, looking out onto a field. The small ovals are like water drops on glass that magnify what lies underneath. Hurricane Katrina and the flooded rooms leaving behind water marks where residue was captured on the wall are also associations.
Looking at several details together of the small embroidered ovals The small ovals represent intimacy, a place to rest your eyes, a place to gather your breath, a place of looking deeper into the surface, or magnifying what lies underneath, discovering what lies just beneath the chaotic tangle of lines, the jumbled mess of our thoughts.
Healing Field no 1. 36"x48" cotton muslin, screen printed with textile inks, embroidery Small ovals hold your attention as place markers for contemplation-meditation. The slightly raised embroidered thread has associations of scar, tattoo, branding or stigmata.
Healing Fields no. 1 detail
Rend 1 97"x40" woven, linen, waxed linen, fish hooks, weights, wire cable, Skin has memory and is imprinted with lines slowly over time. These meandering lines tell stories of our desires and longings. The lines, slits, and stitched marks of this skin-like cloth reflect our life's journey.
Rend 1 side view
Rend 1 detail with weights
Rend 1 detail with stitching
Rend 2 45"x27" woven, linen, hand made kozo paper, block printed, wax Scraped, torn and distressed, Rend 2 amplifies the effects of time. Rend 2 was created during Hurricane Katrina and the media captured the devastating effects of the storm as the water receded.What remained in the aftermath of the storm was debris covered with muck.
Rend 2 detail
Spine 60"x4"x3" woven double weave, linen, cotton, hardware cloth The structure and metaphor of the human spine conjures up images of strength and responsibility, but the small openings convey a sense of vulnerability.
Spine detail
Untouched installation view, 5 boxes with twined forms, wood, waxed linen, beeswax Each box with twined form represents the orifices of our bodies and are placed on the wall in relation to their positions within the body. The beeswax encases each box as a protective skin. The small, delicate, circular openings of the twined forms present a sense of innocence. When we are born we are unmarked by life's circumstances.
Untouched, detail of 3 boxes with twined forms
Untouched, detail with box and twined form
Untouched, detail with box and twined form
Untouched, detail of box with twined form