Joyce Goodman

Column I
silver plated copper, pearls, and wire
96 x 12 in.

Knitting grows in a similar way to every natural thing: plants, animals, mineral crystals. To knit is to build one cell, one stitch at a time.

Because metal has memory, knitted wire remembers and retains the needle’s shape and every turn it took in making the stitches. The curlicues and knots record the process, an alphabet drawn in space. Even the memories of mistakes remain. Like scars and wrinkles, they document experiences, lessons learned.

These qualities of organic growth and testimony are central to my work and give meaning to my life. So does the connection I feel to millennia of creative hands when I use traditional skills. Hope, aspiration, strength, fragility and sensitivity are all part of the conversation.

© Joyce Goodman