Embroidered Images - Seeing Absence
Late winter/early spring is a seldom-explored time when nature is most revealing- snow melts, uncovering buried secrets and exposing structure. It is an interval of endurance and yearning. Unexpected encounters with lifeless creatures succumbed to winter's harshness and the stark outlines of bare trees remind us that absence is a vital part of the natural world. We cannot cover the bones and forget, nor fill vacant spaces with distractions and expect a balanced continuity.
Noting absence in our landscape is a sacred act of remembrance. Where there is absence, there is no nothingness. Matter decomposes, breaks down, and disappears, leaving an invisible presence that moves and nurtures beyond itself. When we pay deep attention to absence, both exterior and interior, we honor this presence and give vitality to our own lives.
A nostalgia for needlepoint and hand-tatted hankies, chiffon scarves, windows billowing yards of sheer white, plus many hours wandering nearby woods and happening upon animal remains revealed by spring snow melt, inspired this series of mixed media pieces. Interweaving upcycled textiles- bits of antique, tatted lace, doilies, vintage curtains, and hand-embroidery- with original, stark 11" x 14" photographic images unfolds literal and philosophical stories of absence and presence.
Noting absence in our landscape is a sacred act of remembrance. Where there is absence, there is no nothingness. Matter decomposes, breaks down, and disappears, leaving an invisible presence that moves and nurtures beyond itself. When we pay deep attention to absence, both exterior and interior, we honor this presence and give vitality to our own lives.
A nostalgia for needlepoint and hand-tatted hankies, chiffon scarves, windows billowing yards of sheer white, plus many hours wandering nearby woods and happening upon animal remains revealed by spring snow melt, inspired this series of mixed media pieces. Interweaving upcycled textiles- bits of antique, tatted lace, doilies, vintage curtains, and hand-embroidery- with original, stark 11" x 14" photographic images unfolds literal and philosophical stories of absence and presence.