map, gouache, used floss, tissue paper, marker, ink, light box

This piece is mounted on and illuminated by a light box that extends 3 inches from the wall. I’ve sewn stitches through the paper with used floss and the light not only gives the entire piece a luminous effect, but turns this pattern of sewn holes into a starry galaxy. It reminds me of a fairy tale, an adventure played out in the mind of a child before dreaming.

When I was two, before I had really learned to swim, I loved jupming off of the diving board. There was no hesitation, no fear, only excitement. Of course my mom was there to catch me, but I dove in with abandon! Curiosity, imagination, adventure, and play, are all the elements of my childhood that I savor and strive to hold on to as a mature adult. Stubbornness, timidity, worry, and impatience are the characteristics of my childhood that I would like to grow out of. This body of work is a collective expression of the transition from ignorance to knowledge, and from inexperience to understandingn that I went through at the end of my college career. I had to choose how to live the rest of my life and I decided not to sit at the edge of the pool and dip my toes, but to take a running start and dive straight in!

Contact me for purchase of the original.