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THEMES
My work evolves at the intersection of both printmaking and textile arts. The themes that keep repeating for me are of transformation, womens collective healing, symbolism, ancient wisdom recalled and the magic we humans delve into with our powers of creative alchemy.
TEXTILES
In the textile work I use vintage or secondhand textiles, old fabrics and threads, especially those rarer fabrics of superior quality made of sustainable methods such as vintage hemp and linen. The re-use of vintage clothing pieces ties into the theme of transformation, both of the material but also the spiritual essence of the person who wore it and the collective body of women on Earth. The clothing represents the physical body and the art work, painting, stitching, and embroidery represents the energy that is transforming. There is a tie to the past and an intention for the future. The textiles represent a healing or a change in progress. Nothing is static in our lives, some changes take time and the time invested in making textiles also allows for the time our of reality to attend to our own process. The images below are works in process, only just begun, and represent beginning aspects of three different pieces.
ANCIENT WILD
Many of us have a fascination for our ancestral wisdom and forgotten time. In particular the Neolithic period keeps drawing my curiosity and has inspired continual exploration. There is no doubt that the Neolithic people of many cultures had a closer connection to the Earth and the Cosmos, through necessity and the lack of technological developments that have led to modern man separation from Nature. Not to mention humanitys delusion that we can dominate nature and forever bend it to our will.
The images below are inspired by visits to Neolithic sites in Brittany, France, particularly in the Gulf of Morbihan, with it's beautiful standing stones, dolmens and menhirs. These prints are made from handmade plates made with collagraph methods, including the use of carborundum.Sometimes also chine collé with linen paper and the addition of aquarelles and stitching to represent the movement of energy within the stones. Each print is unique and one of a kind, and the pics below are a detail of a part of each print.
SACRED SYMBOLS
I've been exploring symbols and symbolism and their communication and healing properties for many years. As a working energy awareness teacher for over two decades I have encouraged students to use symbols to hold and communicate information. We each have - consciously or unconsciously- our own symbols that we use as short hand in our own communication with our intuitive self or with others. Now, we are seeing in SM and texting the increased dependence on symbols to convey meaning. Is this a good development or are we losing the ability to express ourselves through words? We have long know that art transcends language, and helps us express what seems impossible to convey with mere words. Although words are also symbols themselves. So, how do we use symbols in art? My own exploration in symbols and art ties me to a long tradition of artists who explore what is beyond normal sight and language, the mysteries of soul, spirit and creative alchemy. These images below are close up/detail views of part of each print.
A short video of artwork on display at Atelier Mayalen Open Studios December 2022. Video de mon art en expo dans mons atelier pour les Portes Ouvertes/ Ballades des Artistes Decembre 2022.
Address
Vienne 86
Nouvelle Aquitaine
France
Phone
123-456-7890