Statement
My most recent work explores the spirituality of my ancestors in historic Scotland through my perspective of being raised in a high-demand Christian religion. I was raised strictly Christian and left my church at the beginning of the pandemic. Realizing that the narratives of the church were harmful caused my faith to shake and my spirituality to break. It has taken a lot of learning over the past 3 years to process the upheaval and I have since researched and explored many forms of spirituality. My understanding of the harm done by Christian sects informs this work as a necessary criticism of the religion that looms behind colonization and Western society. Many of these beliefs are responsible for the racism, homophobia, transphobia, and sexism in our culture. Analyzing this history of religion and its effects on our lives is the first step toward addressing the harm that has been caused under the banner of “God’s will.”
I received funding from Calgary Arts Development to go to Scotland to visit the land of my ancestors and create a body of work based on my research. While I was abroad in August 2022, I was able to learn about the history of the people who lived during the time of the medieval age and before, and I was able to collect inspiration from architecture, artifacts, folktales, history, and ornamentation. The resulting show, Pilgrimage of Stories and Stones celebrates a people long past who lived their lives in balance with nature, and who placed focus on creation The goal for this collection of work is to share the hope that spirituality can return to teachings of harmony and kindness regardless of the way one chooses to worship (or not).
To be human is to find meaning in symbols, and to form those symbols into objects and imagery is to make art. The next stage in this human experience is magic. Alchemy in its basic definition is the ability to change one thing into another, be it lead into gold, or a symbol into a story. In its basic definition, Magic is to enact change on the world through means not of it. Symbols and meaning exist in our minds alone; they operate in the mental realm. When we take these things to the spiritual realm, then we call it magic.
My work makes use of forms and layering inspired by armor, gothic elements, symbols of witchcraft, and fabric printed with imagery inspired by my research. Techniques used include silk screening, sewing, carving, metalsmithing, leatherworking, and illumination. I combine symbolism of historical Scottish life and spirituality, and meld them together with my experience with religion and my new respect for the beliefs of paganism, new-age spirituality, and witchcraft.
I received funding from Calgary Arts Development to go to Scotland to visit the land of my ancestors and create a body of work based on my research. While I was abroad in August 2022, I was able to learn about the history of the people who lived during the time of the medieval age and before, and I was able to collect inspiration from architecture, artifacts, folktales, history, and ornamentation. The resulting show, Pilgrimage of Stories and Stones celebrates a people long past who lived their lives in balance with nature, and who placed focus on creation The goal for this collection of work is to share the hope that spirituality can return to teachings of harmony and kindness regardless of the way one chooses to worship (or not).
To be human is to find meaning in symbols, and to form those symbols into objects and imagery is to make art. The next stage in this human experience is magic. Alchemy in its basic definition is the ability to change one thing into another, be it lead into gold, or a symbol into a story. In its basic definition, Magic is to enact change on the world through means not of it. Symbols and meaning exist in our minds alone; they operate in the mental realm. When we take these things to the spiritual realm, then we call it magic.
My work makes use of forms and layering inspired by armor, gothic elements, symbols of witchcraft, and fabric printed with imagery inspired by my research. Techniques used include silk screening, sewing, carving, metalsmithing, leatherworking, and illumination. I combine symbolism of historical Scottish life and spirituality, and meld them together with my experience with religion and my new respect for the beliefs of paganism, new-age spirituality, and witchcraft.