(17 inches wide by 25 inches high by 6 inches deep)
This design was inspired by my own experiences of grief. Because I have experienced grief as having a disorienting quality, the surface of this three-dimensional sculpture features a nineteenth-century technique known as “crazy quilting.” The drab palette expresses what I have experienced as grief’s draining of color from my life. Mary’s vacant form gives visual expression to my own experiences of feeling bereft, emptied of all that gives life meaning and purpose. I imagine Mary as having experienced similar manifestations of grief — and yet still finding the courage to be fully present to her Son and to the suffering ones of every time and place. This design was executed with black rayon fabric from which the dyes were selectively removed (discharged), then embellished with improvisational machine stitching and an organza shroud, which was selectively burned.
