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| "Sewing Rituals" encaustic monotype and collage with hand stitching 5x5" each I have been thinking about rituals a lot lately. What is a ritual? In what way is it different from a routine? For me, routine implies something ordinary and habitual like that morning cup of coffee. Or taking a daily walk. While these things are enjoyable, satisfying and done regularly, they don't seem to be ritualistic. They are routine. They are habits. Ritual seems to be more about doing something that you love, something you really care about, something that holds a special meaning or importance to you. A ritual is something that one might continue throughout the years because the ritual has become an integral part of who you are. As I write this, I can still see that the two words, routine and ritual, are closely aligned. Perhaps thinking about rituals such as weddings or liturgies, birthdays and holidays, comes closest to the kind of ritual meaning I am addressing. For me, sewing has long been a part of my art practice. It is more than habit or routine. It is an integral part of my artwork and of how I think as an artist. My art whether on fabric or paper, canvas or collage, often involves sewing. Many times it is the part of the art making that I like best. Often the sewing is what differentiates my mixed media work from that of other mixed media artists. In that way, sewing is a ritual for me. Wanting to make an artwork that speaks directly to that idea is the basis of the two pieces here. They are the beginning of a work I am titling "Sewing Rituals". I am not sure how large it will be or how long it will take. It s not so much a daily practice. It is more about the specific ritual, sewing, that in and of itself is the concept of the final artwork. |
