Sunday, April 16, 2017

work in progress

soul is the essence
essence  from within
it is where everything begins

Van Morrison
I look for the poetic in my world of experience and under my own skin.
In my heart.
A recovery of the world through poetics.
A reclaiming of sensory experience, seeing tasting hearing touching
A reclamation of the body.

Adrienne Rich
Above are four vintage ironing pads lined up left to right as they were layerd on the board, bottom to top.

The dark one on the left is natural wool and probably about 90 years old
I think the singed one next to it is also a wool felt.
The third one, also felt, but it might have acrylic mixed with the wool.  It is nearly new.
The last one is a scorch resistent metallic fabric that covers them all.

I've had these since 2006, the year Ned's mother passed.
I could not throw them away
They held something.  They looked like figures.
Maternal stories are forgotten and lost and our culture encourages this amnesia.
What is the poetic meaning held by these old cloths?

time
and heat
and labour and protection
and presenting ourselves neatly to society
and women standing up and bearing down
and daily repetition
and the smell of damp hot wool
and singe marks
and body-size and shape

why would I add red thread?
red thread is often added to domestic cloth as a marker, usually intials
red thread is also a protection element found in traditional world garments
The work of art is like an act of mourning.
Mourning is a way to work through feelings of loss.
All creation is a re-creation of a loved and lost object.

Melanie Klein
the body and the spirit
the self in the center
the layers of time and of labour
Cloth is like the body.
It gets old, it survives, it holds memories and dreams - all at the same time.
 sculpture
 not just pretty little stitching marks

reparation
Soul is what you've been through
What's true for you
Where you going to
What you're gonna do

Van Morrison

finished pieces can be seen here

17 comments:

Mo Crow said...

you are an amazing artist Judy, uncovering the deep, the history, the heart and soul and mystery in an ironing board!

Vicky aka Stichr said...

I can picture them layered upon a wooden board. Such a great base for more time-stories.

Suzanna said...

I love this. They also remind me of the layers inside my shoes...providing comfort and alignment to our whole structure. Recently I took apart my slippers and was surprised by all the layers.

Lynn Holland said...

I'm going to share this post with a few friends in the UK who I know will get it completely because of the work they do and the way they look at life's history

Aara said...

This is so beautiful. Thank you.

Judy Martin said...

Lynn, I did an English degree in Embroidery through Opus affiliated with Middlesex uni - and this way of looking at materials came out of that.

Letting the materials lead. Trying to listen to them and allow them a voice.
Yet also holding on to psychological and phenomenol theories.

These old ironing pads had such a loud singing voice when I found them again last week, I had to listen. They interupted my work.

So happy to listen to them and respond.
Thank you for your comment.
Thanks to everyone for supportive comments. They are important to me.
xo


Carol Wiebe said...

I love how you listen to your materials, Judy, and also how you make harmony with the voices you hear by adding poetry and lyrics. Once an artist is attuned, she cannot turn her ear away.

An artist listens
Materials speak to her
Once ears are attuned

Linda said...

I still iron all the time. I love it and I will look at my ironing board now with more reverence. I would like that someone used my covers for art in at the future. Your mother in law must be happy and feel honored.

Els said...

What a great way using those ironing board covers like this !!!
Stunning !

Margaret said...

I too have layered my ironing pads, one on the other over the years, on that same board I got when I had my second apartment, circa 1974. You, however, make those layers speak...or rather, you hear what they are saying.

And this: "You can fool a lot of yourself, but you can't fool the soul. That worrier." - Mary Oliver (from Upstream: Selected Essays. Hmmmm....

Kathy Suprenant said...

I love your stitched ironing board covers especially since I just saw an exhibit of Willie Cole’s italio and relief prints of ironing boards at our university’s art museum (https://www.spencerart.ku.edu/common-work-art and http://www.williecole.com/5-beauties-rising.html). Similarly, his prints reference how everyday objects evoke a memory of experience

Martine said...

What is art without soul................

jude said...

such unspoken story in those covers.

Judy Martin said...

Yes Jude - an unspoken story. A mute poem.
xo

Penny Berens said...

Do you think of Ned's mother as you stitch? I know you do. Ironing was such an integral part of our mothers' generation...can't help but think how different our lives are now. I have my grandmother's repaired sheets and tabkecloths that I get out of tge drawer every now and then with an idea to stitch into them but at the last minute I just can't! I worry whether I can do them justice because I love them so much! My grandmother would be amazed at what you are doing with the ironing board covers and paddings. I am too. Love the spirals...love you!

Threadpainter said...

I am amazed by what you see & feel with the un-noticed, overlooked and the neglected. I now have a new respect for old tableclothes, blankets and now ironing boards and the lives they led. I absolutely love what you are doing with the layers of ironing board covers !
Like you, Penny Berens, I would have such a hard time stitching, or cutting,or dyeing my gr.mothers tableclothes.
But, I am downsizing rightt now and I have a tablecloth up for grabs :) One of those chinese cotton affairs with some kind of open work on it ... very popular as wedding gifts in the 70's :) If either of you would like the cloth, just holler !

Simone de Klerk said...

Beautiful and precious.