Lucy

Arashi-dyed cotton textile, low immersion-dyed cotton textile, hand-spun & plied textile cording
34” x 9” x 9”
2020

In 2020, I was awarded a Carmody Foundation / Art for Good grant, which commissioned me to create a work that would be auctioned at a charity fundraiser. While creating the piece, I thought about how marks can be left by temporary conditions, like grass stains on a child's clothing, a finger drawn through dust on a table top, or callouses from shoes that are too tight. People can also leave traces on others, for good or for ill, for better or for worse.

Women's clothing can leave similar memories. Whether we like them or not, women can recall famous dresses—Marilyn Monroe's subway dress, Princess Diana's wedding dress, Lady Gaga's meat dress. Personal clothing can leave marks on the body, as when foundation garments are too constricting or are worn for too long.

I thought of all these things as I made this piece, but couldn't find the right title until it was nearly done. On the morning of the last day of work on this piece, I learned that a dear high school friend had finished her protracted and difficult fight with cancer. Lucy was finally free from the pain from which she'd so often wished for release. And so this piece is a tribute to Lucy. It speaks of her presence in my life—and of so many loving friends and family—and most poignantly, it remembers her absence.