Lisa Switalski

Trying to Forget
steel wire, handmade daylily, abaca, and kozo papers, pencil
64 x 67 x 3 in.

Writing and personal narratives about intimacy, family, identity, and mortality inspire my work. Words flash into my brain in fiery pulses, or roll around like marbles, following my progress, bringing me back to my original intentions. Paper is the constant. Its tactility gives form to these drifting impulses. The rhythm of making the paper grounds my ideas; they appear and morph as the pulp forms into sheets, drains, and dries. I push the medium’s fragility, its translucence, and its ability to carry meaning with its weight and feel. Both text and paper allow me to control the degree of specificity of my content.

© Lisa Switalski