Advanced Fiber Studio (Highlights)
My work addresses the obsessive and repetitive actions of art making. I don’t just make art to create; it is crucial in my life as a type of therapy. The concepts and the act of creating keeps my mind as well as hands busy. At the same time, even though making art is therapeutic, I feel that making art drives me crazy almost reaching to the point of it being unhealthy, where I can not think about anything but my work and I lose sleep and am not able to do normal day to day activities.
My Victory/My Downfall is a series of banners representing my struggles with making art and being an artist. Banners are typically used to create an atmosphere of celebration or to make other people take notice of something. I want the viewer to take notice of my personal artistic struggle but also to join me in the celebration of it all (no matter how happy or tragic it may be).
There are two streams of banners, one with an excess of material creating a 3D surface made up of my material collections from over the years and the other stream of banners are simple plain white flags. I am torn between two extremes, sometimes I feel like making art is what I am supposed to do in life and at other times I feel like I should give up with art and find some other type of personal expression.
This work shows my constant influence of folk art and the act of the obsessive repetition of working. It is extremely personal as it shows my failures as well as success of being an artist. As the stream of banners hang side by side, perhaps I will be able to find some type of middle point where my opposing feelings can co-exist.