On the Mend

Abstract

I explore the fragility of relationships and resentment by using mending as a metaphor for forgiveness and compassion. My adolescence was steeped in family members' praises of Alcoholics Anonymous, and I find a lot of how I navigate the world has been informed by the steps of taking moral inventory, responsibility, and continuous attempts at amends through letter writing. On the other hand, my introduction to craft was through my family with crafting and sewing, and I'm drawn to the way those influences play together to flesh out the idea of fixing something, whether it be tangible or emotional. The relation between these themes often comes to me through the personification of animals and their kinship to humans, through the honoring process of taxidermy, and the precious horror of roadkill. I work interdisciplinarily but focus on printmaking for its process-based practice that mirrors the act of long-term mending. Mixing mediums creates more physicality in the image to convey the messiness of the ideas at hand and give the viewer something to touch, even just through sight.