New ideas

I can't believe we're already at the Mid-Term mark, I'm not quite sure how that happened....holy cow!  After my last mentor meeting with Renée, she encouraged me to take my cocoons out in the world and photograph them in different locations to better understand where they fit in the world. I loaded them up in the car and took them with me wherever I went, it was pretty funny sometimes but we had some good conversations during our rides.  Doing this has given me some new ideas and thoughts about where these cocoons belong and what step might be next for the work which is making me feel pretty excited about the upcoming months.  Although, I've been really struggling with feeling as if I'm all over the place, I think things are starting to come into focus.  As I resolve the new pieces I will begin to post them but for now here are some of the pics of my cocoons.

More experiments

The research for the Critical Theories Response paper has given me some ideas that are rolling over in my mind and will inform the upcoming semester.  I'm not quite sure where these ideas will lead but conversations with Deborah, Renée, and classmates have allowed some new paths to emerge.

The idea of shame is a large topic which almost feels too daunting to tackle but through these past couple months, doing research, I've come to believe that shame resides within liminal spaces which gives it the power to create a tremendous level of discomfort within each of us.  Although shame is found in these places of "liminality" this is also where transformation occurs, if we choose to allow it to unfold. Therefore, the need to wrap, stitch, and place items within a "cocoon" symbolizing transition and transformations.  The questions that have been raised...What's happening on the inside and how will it emerge?

Anyway, here are some of my experiments....

This larger piece is in the early stages and will need to be coated, painted, and wrapped.

 These images are a continuation from the last post.

an experiment with latex, wire, and cheesecloth

experimenting with casting paper

Excitement, Ideas, and Doubt, OH MY!

I had my first meeting with my mentor this past week, amazing!  Renée had so many great insights about my current work.  She suggested checking out "The Three Fates"and Case making insects...holy crap, what a great idea!  It really gave me loads of ideas and offered a lot of different avenues as to how I'll push through my frustration with regards to not necessarily having the "right" knowledge to know what to do sculpturally.  Renée asked about the shapes I choose and offered the suggestion to dig in and discover the deeper meaning in my choices also she encouraged me to go out and find found items to wrap.  Now, I do have to say I think the work is in an awkward stage and I'm not certain how I feel about that but am just going with it and continuing my exploration of my process and my "rituals" that seem to be very important to this particular work.

After my meeting with both Deborah and Renée I'm feeling so happy, energized, and hopeful about the direction the work is going.

my objects from last semester wrapped in nylon and coated with latex

this is a continuation of the above image and is now coated in plaster

The pieces below are wrapped in cheese cloth and are only a beginning, I haven't decided how they will morph.  One of the helpful things Renée said about cocoons and case making objects," the transformations occur while inside"....so great and gives me lots of things to think about and obviously this will take some time for things to transform...

vessels wrapped in cheese cloth

Below is just another experiment and I haven't decided what to do with them at all. 

some experimentation and such...

I'm trying some new things as well as working on how I will solidify my direction and trying to decipher and identify exactly what I'm wanting to express through this new work. I am discovering, this semester, I'm doing much more research, thinking, as well as sketching in determining how to approach the work. I'm feeling a bit unsteady and feel as if I'm tip-going through some muddy waters(at least for myself) concerning what shame and shaming women looks like.  Here are some experiments....

Still working on wrapping and coating it with latex

In Process, still adding more waxed thread

making the same objects out of wire mesh

coating the wire mesh with paper and latex

These are the objects (from last residency) coated again with wax and painted and placed on a satin pillow....

Finding the Way

I have been trying to settle into the new semester.  I'm finding it a struggle to focus in on the very large topic of shame.  I am reading and researching loads and trying to identify what exactly I am hoping my work communicates.  I have been offered really great gifts by two friends.  Fabric and sheets and alginate and plaster gauze to help in finding my direction.  I felt I had mixed critiques and am trying to let the  comments I don't need fall away and hone in on the information that will assist in moving through to the next step on the work.

Figuring Things Out

After a ridiculous amount of over-thinking about how to put all the parts together, I think I've come up with  a solution, at least temporarily. My meeting with my  mentor helped put things into perspective and allowed me to push forward and discover a solution.  I used fishing line to string together the sewn containers, this allows me to arrange the pieces in a way that I am able to suspend the containers along the line at different intervals.  Being able to suspend the containers at different points along the line provides a sensation  the containers are floating similar to how we carry old memories, feelings, old messages, and thoughts within our psyche.  For now, this is what I am settling on since we are galloping towards the cut off point of mailing our work to Boston.

Meeting with my Mentor

I had my fourth meeting with my mentor, Leslie, last week.  She was incredibly helpful in adding insights into concepts, ideas, and progress made during the semester.  Leslie, as usual, helped me step outside of my view of my studio practice and allowed me to see the work as it is and begin to see the next steps for the upcoming semesters.  Leslie has an amazing gift of asking questions that propel you forward in trusting your work and studio practice.   It's been an intense semester by stepping outside of my normal painting practice but, with Leslie's support,  feel it has been an important period of growth, I'm excited to see where the work takes me.