Threads of Hope in Botanic Garden

Acrylic and collage

I work with acrylic and collage to invent scenes of home, both lived-in and fictional. An interest in ornamentation connects my work visually, while themes of memory, childhood, womanhood and safety surface throughout. I’m influenced by Southern Gothic fiction, particularly the genre’s goal of illuminating pressures of past upon present. My vessel references a pattern from the Botanic Garden china set, used and loved by my family in South Carolina. The nostalgic green leaves are iconic of our plates and bowls. In my piece they create the thread of hope that the figures carry, lift and pull. Theirs is an active role; as they move, they change the threads of their society, while looking clear-eyed into the truths of their history. The American artists, activists, leaders and thinkers who do this work are honored here. They have woven my silver lining throughout this tumultuous year.