During the course of bringing this body of work to light I lost my mother. My work has often referenced my ancestors and this pulp painting has unearthed matrilineal connections for me. The process of putting my hands into the pulp connected me to the plants and the cycle of growing them and harvesting them and all the work of getting them ready to be used as a source of art making. The women in my matrilineal line come to mind and I imagine them using the grasses grown on the European plains to make baskets and other useful household items. Here I am in the studio pouring the fibers in ammeditative state unlike my usual way of creating prints on paper made by someone else. Here I am infusing the paper with the imagery of a magical woman telling her story.
I share the words of French feminist critic Helene Cixious, “A new language? No. A virgin way of listening and making the always new/old language speak.”
