I first considered drawing from a variety of cultures to inform my piece. I have now decided to pull from my own experiences to talk about what has informed my view of nature. I would like to create an experience that connects the viewer to the piece.
I am considering making 3 panels. The first panel would be a detailed version of my experience at Corkscrew Swamp on a visit to Florida. After a little reading I became curious about the swamps. I dragged my family away from the beach one morning for the excursion. The swamp from the outside looked dry and unappealing. The trees were almost bare. It didn't seem there was much to see. I never could have imagined what a wonderful place the swamp was. The view was inspiring and yet at the same time mysterious and a little eerie. There was this complexity of trees, vines, and animals, all reflected in the water. There was also a sadness of how great a loss the surrounding community was suffering as this piece of nature was being affected by the surrounding growth. I wondered how many of the community even realized the treasure they had right in their own back yards. How many of them had connected with it? I don’t want to draw attention to Corkscrew Swamp alone. I am just using my experience there to encourage others to find their own experiences and make their own connections to nature.
I am hoping to find a way to bring the viewer into the project symbolically. I plan to use light as the connection to the viewer and as a reference to the sublime. The light would shine through and leave a shadow on the wall. As I thought this through I realized the viewer’s shadow could also project through the work onto the wall (depending on the position of the lights). This is where the second and third panels come in.
I would like the second panel to be less detailed, more abstract. Less of the scene would show. More of the viewer’s shadow will show through on the wall. I am thinking of leaving the third panel without any stitching. This leaves only the viewer’s shadow. This progression from a full scene to nothing is meant to show the slow fade of the natural. It is also meant to show less of my work and more of the viewer.
I would still like to use my “lace” drawings to create the pieces. I created a large pattern on painter’s canvas to lay out the first piece. I am now planning just to use black as it makes me think of mourning.
