Knowing Together With An Other
All people change as we develop. They embody a variety of roles at different stages of life. Carl Jung refers to these roles as Archetypes. Folklore, mythology, and Chakra Systems explore and illustrate Archetypes making them easily relatable. In Knowing Together With an Other, I represent some of the Archetypes I have embodied during my own life. My sculptures depict stereotyped versions of femininity: the seductress, the lover, the mother, and the martyr, they are influenced by Western visual culture, folklore and personal experience. To create the figures, I combine a life cast of my body with different materials such as foam, wool, wax, wood and textiles, each material embedding a different aura in its assigned figure. Doll and puppet joints allow the figures to assume a variety of poses and to show a sense of control. These figures encourage personal reflection on our phases of life and personal growth.
The work for Knowing Together With An Other represents my spiritual and artistic growth; it is also a culmination of knowledge acquired during my graduate studies. In these pieces, I experimented with several new materials, demonstrating a new level of skill confidence and ambition I didn’t have before entering the program. I am no longer satisfied in my needle-felting niche; I trust that I can employ a wide variety of contemporary craft methods to express my ideas in way that embraces both craft and fine art.
The ties between my personal story and references to folklore, mythology and western visual culture peeks out just enough for viewers to connect with, they recognize a pose or character, and it streamlines them to a familiarity or memory that bonds them with the work. Viewers are curious and engaged because of what they feel when they look at the work, emotions sometimes overpower concept. Using the archetypes as starting points gives me endless subject matter and inspiration that will sustain me throughout my career. Creating seven figures was a very daunting task, but I was determined to meet my goal. All of the long hours and small details were worth it. I am so proud of how this body of work turned out.
The work for Knowing Together With An Other represents my spiritual and artistic growth; it is also a culmination of knowledge acquired during my graduate studies. In these pieces, I experimented with several new materials, demonstrating a new level of skill confidence and ambition I didn’t have before entering the program. I am no longer satisfied in my needle-felting niche; I trust that I can employ a wide variety of contemporary craft methods to express my ideas in way that embraces both craft and fine art.
The ties between my personal story and references to folklore, mythology and western visual culture peeks out just enough for viewers to connect with, they recognize a pose or character, and it streamlines them to a familiarity or memory that bonds them with the work. Viewers are curious and engaged because of what they feel when they look at the work, emotions sometimes overpower concept. Using the archetypes as starting points gives me endless subject matter and inspiration that will sustain me throughout my career. Creating seven figures was a very daunting task, but I was determined to meet my goal. All of the long hours and small details were worth it. I am so proud of how this body of work turned out.
