“Spiraling”

May 2022

Aluminum foil, Yarn, Hot Glue, Glitter, Shredded Mylar, Found Objects (Shells, Rocks, Leaves, Acorns, Beads, Gems)

6’x5’

Process: the first step to my process is sketching out a loose shape on the wall. I then gather a large amount of aluminum foil and start hot gluing sheets of it together in layers of 3 to create a large aluminum foil sheet.  The material gets put on the wall and shaped and carved out until it matches the intended shape.  A visual representation of this can be seen in the 4th image I submitted.  I then section off multiple long pieces of yarn and tape it to a surface.  Once I have a table length full of sectioned off yarn, as seen in the last photo I submitted, I spin each section with a drill so that it bunches up after 1-3 minutes of spinning.  The yarn bunch is then taped off and placed next to the current sculpture I am working on, as I move on the next section.  Each bunched up yarn ball acts as a “swatch” of medium.  Once I have multiple colors collected, I place the yarn wherever I feel naturally inclined to “make a mark” and proceed to glue it down.  Section by section, the piece comes together while never stressing about the end result. Throughout this peaceful process, I hide little pieces of what makes my life blissful throughout the bunched up yarn. This is also intuitive and I never know where I will be placing my next object until I feel it out. 

Through these carefully picked out color schemes and manipulation of materials in various ways, my process allows me to communicate the clarity I feel when I am able to break free from chaos of life.  My work is an expression of my internal monologue, something that seems to scream at me all throughout every day.  By intuitively placing my materials as I go, responding to whatever decision I previously made, I create these organic yarn sculptures that explode with energy that has been forever longing to be released.  Through this process, I am able to create a physical space for my brain to play, releasing emotion in a way that can be visually relatable as well as healing for the viewer and artist.  My goal for my audience is to encourage soul exploration, whether it be mine, theirs, or ours entangled together.  I want to create a feeling that explodes outside of the artwork and reaches deeper than the eye viewing it.  Embedded into the surface of the sculpture, the objects that are hidden have been collected from, and now represent, my most blissful times.  The glitter is representative of music festivals, concerts, dancing to music, childhood nostalgia, and letting go, and the bits of nature are from my peaceful walks where I let my mind be free.  The never ending spiraling of thoughts can be life consuming, and this is represented through the spinning and bunching of yarn and bold color choices that turn into spiraling patterns.  I believe it is a struggle for most people to turn the chaos off.  The only times I find myself truly free of this is when I am creating, connecting with nature, or enjoying artistic creation through human connection.  My wish for everyone encountering these sculptures is: take a moment, pause, and breathe.  Escape your brain and enter a world of peace and serenity as you come up with your own interpretation of what each piece means to you.