assemblage

Artists are good collectors. We gather ideas, supplies, reference material. It feels natural to assemble these collected items into works of art. Creating assemblages is not a change in my creative direction, but an addition to my artistic output.

Therapy 2023

Glass, stone, wire, wire cutters, acrylic paint, battery operated light, plaster of Paris

This piece of art was accepted into the 31st Annual Juried Art Exhibition, Life’s Moods, at Whitby’s Station Gallery from December 2023 to January 2024.

In this assemblage the glass vessel is symbolic of a being. It exists with experiences, opinions, and emotions which are visually represented by the glass spheres: clear, dark, colourful, opaque. There is an illumination (a light) in each of us. Maybe it is suppressed. Maybe it could be brighter.

At times, dark, difficult, or challenging feelings are dominant. One’s brightness, lightness, and vibrancy, are deep inside.

The rock in the top of the vessel, wrapped in wires, signifies a weight one may feel that prevents any movement or change to the brightness of our being. It’s heavy. We feel stuck. It is wrapped and tied in something (the wires) which make it difficult to move or loosen on your own.

Steps may be needed to address these challenges or struggles.

Look for a tool to aid with the relief. It may be therapy. The placement of the tool (wire cutters) is in a position of offering. Don’t reach it with the right hand. Use your left, and be thoughtful of how to use it.

Bit by bit you can learn how to take small steps to loosen the tension (on the wires) and lift the weight (of the rock).

The vessel sits in the stone (plaster of Paris form) as a connection to, and foundation for, our physical existence. One may feel stuck and unable to move. Through therapy the foundation may become a place from which to stand tall.

There have been many times in my life when I benefited from therapy. A alternate version of the idea for this piece came to me at a time when I was going to therapy, thus the title.