Learning to Grow

I have been working with memory this semester. Specifically, memory as it pertains to women in the military. I have been battling with why it is so important to me, and I thought I had my head wrapped around it, but I think it goes much deeper. Even if I didn't think it did, my mentor says it has to, BUT I completely agree with her.

So after seeing my mentor and listening to the comments she had about my current work I had lunch with Julie Lindell. We discussed surface meaning and depth. My current work lacks the depth and I really need to explore why.

Here is my most recent piece (there are actually 3 of them):

The idea was based on silhouettes as memory provoking. The format is rectangular with cotton linen stretched and folded with military 45 degree angles. The image could be produced by anything though, and this doesn't necessarily state "military ribbon". Susan said it feels very constrained and devoid of color. She provoked a thought that all of my work has the same theme. 

I can see how my current process is lacking depth, and I've got the idea of using the military to express myself in an unhealthy stranglehold. I think this process was extremely important to my development as an artist though, and I don't feel the time spent in this direction was wasted. With that said, I feel I am back, in a way, to "freedom is an illusion" from the first residency. It's not about the illusion of freedom though. I think it may be about constraint, restraint, and oppression...

I'm going to experiment with these thoughts, and work on expanding the depth in my work as Susan suggests. Who knows, I may just surprise myself with things I never really knew about me.