I am a collaborator with my childhood self, utilizing the medium of weaving as a means for rendering my former and current self. Devoted to the examination of my own mental health through the lens of innocence, naïveté, and self-proclaimed vows, my childhood drawings serve as a departure for my work. By using the loom to translate quick, expressive drawings into woven structures, I am embedding in them my contemplative thoughts, energy, and oaths to myself. Through constant introspection, the small, innocent gestures are repositioned as expressions of self-care and awareness of my evolving humanity.
My weavings retain their drawn quality off of the loom; they become grandiose expressions of my childhood hand and my adult psyche. I feign naïveté of color theory and composition both to combat notions of macho-man-modernism and to make my marks reminiscent of crayons or markers on paper. Positioning my juvenescent drawings and text at the level of such acclaimed and sophisticated, yet ‘naive’ Abstract Expressionist or Modernist works, they subvert the extant hierarchy of craft versus high art. At the loom, choices are made to imitate childlike decisions and subdued palettes are reminiscent of faded keepsakes that have been put away and forgotten over time.
The sun, an image of my youth representing contentment and bliss manifests itself in abundance. By harnessing this symbol of joy, the creation of these works reflects the fabrication of happiness for myself, and the notion that the sun is always shining on, for, and because of myself. Hearts are often accompanied by remarks of love and numerous figures appear as self-portraits, recognizing and acknowledging a past and present self. I use my name as a clumsily scratched signature generating expressions of care and self-awareness and allowing myself space to exist while continuing to grapple with self-love, depression, and anxiety.
My weavings retain their drawn quality off of the loom; they become grandiose expressions of my childhood hand and my adult psyche. I feign naïveté of color theory and composition both to combat notions of macho-man-modernism and to make my marks reminiscent of crayons or markers on paper. Positioning my juvenescent drawings and text at the level of such acclaimed and sophisticated, yet ‘naive’ Abstract Expressionist or Modernist works, they subvert the extant hierarchy of craft versus high art. At the loom, choices are made to imitate childlike decisions and subdued palettes are reminiscent of faded keepsakes that have been put away and forgotten over time.
The sun, an image of my youth representing contentment and bliss manifests itself in abundance. By harnessing this symbol of joy, the creation of these works reflects the fabrication of happiness for myself, and the notion that the sun is always shining on, for, and because of myself. Hearts are often accompanied by remarks of love and numerous figures appear as self-portraits, recognizing and acknowledging a past and present self. I use my name as a clumsily scratched signature generating expressions of care and self-awareness and allowing myself space to exist while continuing to grapple with self-love, depression, and anxiety.