H.O.W.S. 9 Painting

Religion played a dominant role in my life growing up in Toronto in the 80's and 90's. It shaped my fashion, my diet, my social interactions, my identity. My parents were of two different faiths. My Mother, Jewish and my Father, Pentecostal. There are many similarities between the two faiths, like the days of worship, food laws and even the dress codes. However, my parents didn't discuss or dwell on the similarities, they remained focused on the differences. Religion, which is supposed to be a positive influence on "family" became a point of contention in our home. Eventually contributing to the divide of my parents as a unit. In this series I seemlessly stitch together Synagogues and Churches, found throughout Toronto, Joining them and making them one. Canvas has become more than the foundation in my process. It is the base, the middle and the surface. I strip away at the fabric and fill the remaining spaces in the canvas with traditional anh contemporary content. The technique of "thread pulling" I employ to the canvas is dated back to traditional West African culture. Simple fabric was elevated by removing threads and intricately interweaving more decorative designs where the threads were removed. In my paintings, materials are intricately interwoven into the spaces where the threads have been removed. I also add "found pigments" and further destroys and embellishes the fabric. By subtraction and addition, the work develops into a contemporary piece embedded with tradition. Employing the canvas as a metaphor for the underlying fabric of Canadian society, I embed fragments of our culture inside the windows formed within the canvas. The square is a reoccurring element in my work and is used as a symbol of growth, order and stability that has become the backdrop for Western living.

Painting:Ink on Canvas

Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork

Size:36 W x 36 H x 1.5 D in

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