Collected Heritage

I have been working on some pieces that follow a theme which has been rattling around my head for a while. There is a show coming up that will highlight some members work who belong to GAAC (glass art association of Canada) and the curated theme fits in with the work that I have been exploring recently. I am not sure if these pieces will be in the show but regardless I had so much fun making them :) 

Collected Heritage Series #1

Collected Heritage Series #1 (detail)

Collected Heritage Series #2

Collected Heritage Series #2

These pieces are comprised of layers of screen printed glass that is layered in a shadow box. The shadows become imagery themselves when the light passes through the glass and the ink.

Here is my artist statement regarding these pieces.

In this unsure and often concerning present, there are some things that transcend time giving us comfort and reminding us of that special person or occasion from the past. An old postcard that was sent to your great grandmother during the war telling her everything would be okay, even if it really wasn’t. A crocheted doily made lovingly, each thread meticulously manipulated into an item that is often overlooked or kept in a drawer. Pictures of ancestors highlighting that distinctive nose on your mothers side or the kind eyes that your grandfather had. All of these images transcend the turmoil that is happening in the world reminding us of the importance of familial history and to cherish it. In archeological terms, textiles and paper have a limited life span degrading over time and often disappearing altogether. Rendering these works in glass gives them an archival quality while also using the inherent properties of glass to highlight characteristics such as fragility and transparency. Putting these images and items in a new context gives them a layered meaning that surpasses the actual memories themselves.