My experimentations with new materials often lead me to fabric. There were a lot of special fabrics around when I was a child - hand-embroidered linens for everyday and holidays, shawls, and head coverings, among other things for both secular and religious uses. My sister was an excellent seamstress who attended college for fashion, and I learned to sew. I still love fabric and the way that our garments speak about our culture. This corset was something I made from upholstery fabric, fisherman’s netting and driftwood while I was an artist-in-residence in Cape Cod at Castle Hill in 2018. I liked how it addressed the ways the female body is repressed in many cultures, and I made it large and adjustable on purpose so that it would fit any body. Models wore it for me, and I created one painting from the photos that seemed like it had some potential. I wonder about it still and hope that it will re-emerge in my work in some way in future.
Kara in Corset, 14” x 11”, oil on canvas