Rivers and streams run through my experience of the Covid-19 pandemic: I went on daily “adventures” with my two-year old granddaughter to find water in which to throw rocks. The river is a sign of living water—needed for life itself. Art is, for me, such living water in the pandemic: both witnessing to the dying and speaking of hope and new life. The repetitive actions of making the Joomchi paper and hand sewing become a ritual that transforms pain, suffering, and loss into new life. These river tapestries show the “river of my life.” This series is made using Joomchi.
River Series, Front View
River Series, Angle View
A River Runs Through It (Us?): The Watchers
Mulberry paper, silk, thread, chicken wire, 34x28x2, 2020
“The Watchers” explores the theme of bearing witness to both suffering and hope in challenging times.
A River Runs Through It (Us?)
Mulberry paper, silk, thread, 31x28x1, 2020
In this second tapestry, my imagination was fueled by JRR Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, cave paintings of spirit guides, and memories of my father’s wisdom and playfulness and of my mother’s sewing.
A River Runs Through Me (Us?)
Mulberry & other paper, fabric, silk, thread, 34x29x3.5, 2021
This third tapestry, with its elements of joy and wonder juxtaposed with wounds and cuts of grief, contains both the darkness and the light.