Seventy-fifth Connection: deliberate and defiant

It takes courage to let what wants to emerge- do so without consciously or unconsciously steering it into something that is easier to talk about, easier to acknowledge, something that grabs attention but stays on the surface without getting too close to the raw fleshy core. This is what I was thinking about while cutting out the sharp edged black and white fabric pieces (intuitively, much as I would create a drawing) that gradually became Struggle for Voice (©1985). A white suspended horizontal ladder floats in front of a 8 x 10’ hand sewn layered fabric piece, while black vinyl arrow shaped leaves on 10” black stems cluster in one corner, pulling it down and spilling onto the floor. Using the materials and processes of fabric, bringing them out of my functional skill set as something to do to create clothing and other domestic items for my home, and into my studio was a deliberate and defiant choice.