Cheryl Thomas
Every Day (2020)
child’s slip, silk thread
30 x 24 x 2 in.
$450
“i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)” – E. E. Cummings
During the Covid 19 pandemic, we are living in a time permeated with loss. It surrounds us. The list is long; illness, death, unemployment, homelessness, safety, confidence, trust. Many of us find ourselves unsettled.
One of my dear friends lost her daughter during the shelter in place order. She and her family have been unable to hold a memorial. Her grief is unfathomable, yet I see her taking steps to celebrate her daughter daily, cooking her recipes, wearing a pair of her earrings, little offerings of love to honor who her daughter was.
For myself, loss has been a constant companion. Because of that, my art has been a way of dealing with the grief, loneliness and emotion. Loss is a topic I revisit. Some of the materials and methods I use to express these are suture cotton, wire, thorns, copper, stitching and used or found objects. I often start with a broken object and repair it. I use purses in my work as a representation of the female.
© Cheryl Thomas