New beginning
New and not so new I guess. This is a small commission, a different version of Amber. I had a lot of fun making it and playing with color. I’m happy with how it turned out, similar but unique in its own way.
They are ready for the show!
This is “Flooded” read about what inspired me to make it here.
“Current State of Things,” in my previous blog I share thoughts about recent changes and uncertain future, as well as details about this piece and it’s emotional meaning.
Current State of Things
Here’s another piece I am making for the show The Art of Mental Health. I have been experimenting with coiling and negative space. As it usually is the case, this piece evolved as I was making it.
Over the past few years trauma and loss have been so prevalent in my conversations with clients, colleagues, and friends. I debated how to call this one. Then in the light of most recent events and threats to what we once trusted and perceived as reliable and “safe,” I decided to name it Current State of Things.
The black represents the grief and sadness due to the loss of what we once thought we knew. The red, wounds and hurt that permeates our psyche creating disruptions and raptures, pushing down its heaviness to the deepest of our unconscious.
Despite the darkness of this piece, I remain hopeful. Organizing this exhibition has been a powerful and energizing experience. Over 30 mental health practitioners will participate in it, eager to express their artistic voices. I can’t wait to tell you more about it!
Detail
Lots on my mind while I am making this piece. In September I watched countless accounts of flowing mud water in so familiar to me Polish cities. It was hard to believe that it was happening “back home.” Over the years these disasters have been progressively more frequent and more destructive.
Coming along
This piece has been on my mind since late summer. It evolved from nostalgia over not going home this year, catastrophic floods in Poland in September, recent political events, as well as more recent health scare.
Ongoing unexpected and unsettling events have the power to ignite a very intense stress response for all of us. “Emotional flooding” in psychology is distinguished from manageable stress by its intensity. Flooding tends to happen quickly, unexpectedly, and it always overwhelms our sense of safety and stability. Given the times we live in, flooding is a predictable and increasingly common response whenever we are met with unanticipated change. Meet “Flooded.”
New beginning
A new beginning. I am making a piece for an exhibition that will open later this month. It will bring together mental health professionals, therapists, and other helpers who are also artists. You can read more about it here.
Pele at its forever home!
I am so happy to see that she arrived safely and is now at home!
Clean up
It is the dark side of the loom, where all the mess is. Whenever I start the clean up, it makes me reflect about the ups and downs of life. We have to be able to embrace both. It is clean up that requires more patience, mindfulness, and persistence. When we face adversity in life, we can’t give up, or avoid it. It is especially then, when we have to persevere and stay determined.
Mountains ARE calling me!
I am ready to get to work on this amazing commission for a senior living facility in Seattle. This is my largest to date custom work. It will measure 132”W x 48”H split across the two walls. It will be made with the finest yarn: cotton rope, corespun alpaca, merino wool, thick and thin merino, felted wool, silk ribbon, roving, rustic banana fiber. Visit soon for updates!
Road trip to Ouray, CO
Mountains were calling me and we did it! Road trip to Ouray, CO. We had a wonderful time, great hiking, spectacular views, and some good camping. And those hot springs!
Meet Pele-The Goddess of Fire
She is inspired by the beauty and spirituality of Hawaii. While creating it, I hoped to express the tension between destruction and creation in volcano eruptions. While the lava destroys and swallows everything on its path, it also becomes the new land, a new hope.
Native Hawaiians beliefs hold that volcanoes are alive and their eruptions are deeply spiritual experiences of how the Earth is reborn. Since volcanoes are alive, they must be treated like a person with rights and responsibilities. Indigenous people believe their welfare and the Earth’s ecological balance are dependent on their continued and appropriate interactions with this living being. (For more info read Richard W. Stoffle work).
Work in progress…
I have been quite invested in making this piece. It is so hard to interrupt weaving it!. I am loving every second of working on it.
Lava on my mind
The trip to Volcanoes National Park, HI was truly inspiring. Ever since my visit, I have been wanting to make a piece reflecting the incredible pools of hardened lava. Pahoehoe formations were especially captivating and stayed with me. This piece is one of a few I plan on making. Stay tuned for updates and new work to come.