Memory - Strength and Fragility #1

February 2011

This sculpture is 4 feet tall, 22 inches wide and 26 inches deep.  It's composed of delicate, thin, painted dowels, painted twigs, and threads that hold the entire structure together.  In some ways it's fragile, in others it feels strong and solid. The myriad of pieces are a challenge to work with since they hold together only with thin, delicate threads.  The strength of the piece emerges only after it is completed, and I found myself holding my breath that it would fly apart at any moment.  In fact, it did fly apart and my first conception of what it would look like, failed completely.  The piece itself, as is so often the case, had a "will" of its own.  It wanted to be off-center. precariously maintaining a balance, or depending on me to find the balance.  Ah yes, that balance between strength and fragility, my ideas, and the "will" of the piece itself, appears yet again - usually, for me, upsetting. and challenging, and always the piece that offers a possible breakthrough and a lot to learn from - kind of like the way memory works.

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