A series, beginning in 2018, of spatters, splashes and child-made
marks that are repaired, embellished, made meaningful and resolved with needlework. There's a tension around the question of value; does the value
derive from the hours of careful craftsmanship, or from the confident,
loose art gestures that situate the piece in the traditionally male world of
contemporary art, rather than the traditionally less-valued women's world of
utilitarian or decorative stitching. The materials here are also humble and low
in value: ordinary sewing thread, yarn, string.
In an ongoing examination of the perception of value,
this series looks at the labor of parenting, by my
responding to the mess and destruction that my child, literally, introduces
into my work through a practice of allowing him to make marks with paint on the canvas. These uncontrolled marks are then treated as a
"pattern" and brought into meaningful balance with the artistic
repair work of their stitched outlines. A white paint smear becomes a ghost
through outlining with stitch, just as holes and splatters become decorative
elements.
These pieces continue to explore the ways in
which art can repair damage. All difficulties are treated as a needlework pattern, the response
improvisational, and decorative. Lace webbings are constructed over
holes, awkward smudges and drips are outlined.
![]()
The Deadly Ooh Business,
2020, electrical
wire, yarn, acrylic paint and hand-stitched thread on canvas, 60" x 60”
The Deadly Ooh Business,
2020, electrical
wire, yarn, acrylic paint and hand-stitched thread on canvas, 60" x 60”
Warmer, 2020, acrylic paint, fabric scraps, smoke residue and hand-stitched thread on canvas, 60" x 60”
Suddenly Supernova, 2020, acrylic paint, fabric scraps, string and hand-stitched thread on canvas, 60" x 60”
Snarl, 2018, thread, fabric scraps and acrylic paint on canvas, 60" x 60”
Twisty, 2018, thread, fabric scraps and acrylic paint on canvas, 60" x 60”
© 2024 Nava Lubelski. All rights
reserved.