This piece was created in the summer of 2021. The patchwork came together quickly and intuitively, kind of a like a sketch. I didn’t originally intend to leave the threads exposed; I planned to bury them, but as I kept pushing them out of the way, stroking them all in the same direction, I decided they looked so interesting that I would leave them out (but tack them down with quilting). I don’t know if I invented this thread technique (probably not) but it was new to me and exciting. For this piece I was thinking about the different types of energies I experienced during Covid, surges and waves in all directions, some that buried me and others that lifted me up. I was thinking about the weight of it all eventually getting on top of me and making me realize I needed some help which led me to seek therapy after a long hiatus. Being a student of anatomy right now, these thread rays (as my friend Jenni Grover brilliantly named them) also reminded me of microvilli, structures that increase the surface area of a cell. This resonated too, as I certainly felt like my surface area increased this year and as a result I was more vulnerable to stress and irritation. I often felt stretched, flat out, on edge, like my nerves had nerves (not anatomically possible but you get the idea). It’s called Back to Therapy. Measures 21”x28”.

This piece was part of the virtual exhibit Maternochronics, put together by the talented Emily Zarse and focusing on maternal exhaustion. It also hung in the show Moments Like This, juried by Jessica Bingham, at Women Made Gallery.