A back exposed can be both vulnerable and can also be a source of strength. The haze created by the erased charcoal gives a sense of anxiety that can cloud and surround us. This piece and the one above are an exploration in capturing the two seemingly contradictory feelings I was experiencing in becoming a mother which was both incredibly empowering, but was also the most vulnerable I have ever felt in my life.
She is a falling star. Beautiful to witness, but often burning up and burning out for those around her. This subtractive piece began as ice blue paper and was then covered in dark blue tones. The figure has been erased out bringing her out of the darkness.
It’s incredible how much “burn” that we as a society, deal with and not just for those who we love. But we continually go, go, go, and put others first: not just our husbands, kids, families, but friends and jobs and employers and clients…and even to an extant, healthy things taken too far like the gym, the right food, etc. It all becomes more important than just…existing.
Nature Book Gallery
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Colored pencil and pressed flowers on black paper
Hair Monster Gallery
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Archival ink pen, water, and gouache on inkjet photograph on mint green paper
I’m sure many can relate to what my husband calls “hair monsters,” whether you’re the creator or perhaps the finder of the hair glob stuck on the shower wall. I lost a decent amount of hair after giving birth and shower hair monsters became somewhat of a regular thing. Sometimes, I’d forget to take them down. Sometimes, I’d see different shapes and figures in them, like an abstract work of art.
I thought it would be funny to bring to light a beautiful little figure from the flowing organic lines of the…hair wad. Very few lines were added and most are traced over actual lines of hair in the photograph.
Mallory Marty Coffey 