Banners, triangles and fire

Abstract

My work celebrates the ritual of making art. When I work, I touch and taste each thread; the needle becomes part of my fingers as I make the marks that contain my thoughts and memories. The act of sewing allows me to exist in a meditative or hypnotic state; I am able to clear my mind of everyday pressures and contemplate what expression and discovery might be within. I want each piece to continually evoke contemplation both within myself and my viewers. The archetypal images of banners, triangles, vessels and fire enable the viewer to participate in potential aspects of the collective unconscious. The form of a cloth banner offers a familiar experience and a reference to an heraldic tradition of commemoration or celebration. The triangles refer to the balance of three, the harmony of the spiritual. The image of a vessel parallels the containment of the spirit by the human body, as well as a place of storage and safekeeping of precious things. Fire can be read as transformation or enlightenment. I consider the fabric windows to be a sacred threshold, an entrance into the color and light created by the embroidered image. The placement of the fire within a vessel within the triangle suggests a movement into the spiritual self, toward personal enlightenment and evolutionary change. These fiery images are emblems of creative energy, ready to be awakened and given form. These images are made with thread upon woven thread. Thread is an ancient symbol to bind or link together elements. The overall form of my work is similar to an altar because of its material and spiritual references. The shrine-like quality can be seen within the illuminated central images. However, the banners are not objects of worship within themselves, but are vehicles that guide to the discovery of the inner self. They record my discovery of unconscious ideas and emotions. Put into form, they are my transformational process expressed. I want my work to speak of a subtle richness that emerges from the black cloth as the viewer moves closer. The color black surrounding the central image is a space through which the viewer can travel. Black speaks metaphorically of the void before creation or the dark before the light. The multiple borders and black spiraled textures create a quiet rhythm to engage the viewer in a transitional resting place. With the variety of textures of the wood and fabric, I hope to entice the viewer to visually experience the tactile element in my work. It is not important to me that the viewer sees or understands the personal thoughts and emotions that are imbued in my images, but that they are inspired to surpass their sense of what is mundane and to discover their own unknown. Amidst a black textured curtain, I offer a window filled with color and light, in hopes of creating a view that spurs individual reflection and discovery.