Friday, November 07, 2008

m e n d

mend: dress

i am participating
in
the forgotten works
challenge

art show
in seattle.
30 pieces in 30 days.

i did it
because
it's been
one of my goals
to make
a cohesive
body of work
and
to exhibit.

mend: brain

i have
long since
been
fascinated
with
the word
m e n d.
most of us
connect
the word
with the
physical
aspect
of mending...
socks,
clothes,
fences...

yet
the physical
has manifested
itself
in the
abstract,
for instance
we use
the idea of
mending fences
to mean
to improve
or strengthen
(as a relationship)
by negotiation or conciliation


mend: fences

mend: homes (detail)

further, it
implies
making whole or sound
something broken, torn, or injured


mend: hearts

mend: bones

i drawn to
the fact that
when you mend
something
it leaves
a scar.
rarely
can you mend
something
seamlessly.
there is always
a crack, seam,
or some
memory
of the
damage
visible.

mend:teeth

mend: dress (detail)

i'd love
to hear
your thoughts.

more to
come...
but for now,
after such
and exciting week
i am wishing you
a peaceful
weekend.

xo

34 comments:

Unknown said...

I think this is a very good idea. Your contemplation of the word is really profound and I love how you focused on the idea that mending never fully heals something. There's always a scar. Very very nice <3

Gina said...

This is so beautiful to me... Since I recently had my heart broken, this word "mend" & how you represent it describes exactly what is occurring within me... I love the art... very poignant!

shari said...

hi there.
i'm feeling so inspired by these pieces gwen. love your exploration of the word and how you include the mending of teeth, bones next to the mending of a skirt, next to the mending of childhood. really lovely. xo

soulvessel said...

wow....very simple but beautiful. broken things can be mended, but it always leaves a scar. i especially like the house one.

Cil Bear said...

I really love these pieces and your concept behind them...good luck in Seattle!

f. pea said...

Such a great metaphor for our country's political state right now, too...

Mindy said...

What a beautiful way to think about mending. Your artwork is also very lovely. Good luck at your art show!

Unknown said...

I love your work & blog! : ) Are you selling your art? Or is it just for an art show! :) Let me know!

I think that this is by far one of my favorite blogs!

Thanks so much!

Jalyn said...

love your work and your blog. it makes me smile. thanks!

Miriam Vaswani said...

I like the emotional look at the fluidity of the word. Not many people regard a word in it's linguistic evolution. Bravo.

lisa solomon said...

mend is obviously a huge word for me. i think it holds so much potential.

of course it instantly links to thread and domesticity and thus the "fixing" of all the things that you describe.

good for you - making all this work. it will look great together. i wish i could see it in person

Unknown said...

oh, I can't tell you how much I love this idea and the way you've executed it! fabulous. :)

Anonymous said...

beautiful work gwen, and i love how you have explored the many meanings of "mend".

Anonymous said...

Hi there how are you? I was looking through your blog and found it interesting and wanted to leave you a comment.

I have an ivitation for you to come and visit my art blog here in San Diego, and comment if you will.

I think that you may enjoy the various labels and music videos I design for my art blog, hope to see you here soon and take care :)

Anonymous said...

I really like the way you write. You seem like the kind of person that I would think is the coolest person ever. I suck at writing, as you can tell, but still. I think you're magnificent.

And PS- I like your art style too. I tried to be artful that way once, but failed miserably. Oh well. Good luck in all you do! Maybe one day I'll buy some.

peachey said...

these are wonderful. i had such anticipation build as i scrolled - to see which layer of meaning could and would be examined & presented next.
so simple. so involved. so great.

artsybee said...

I love the direction of your art, a different approach and interpretation of the word. All the best in Seattle!

Azis said...

verrrrry nice..good luck ;)

tangas usadas said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
editor said...

Beautiful, powerful works of art. Thanks for sharing. Love your blog.

Fish Poke said...

I love your imagination and YOUR INTERPRETATION of the word. Good luck in Seattle!!!!

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Anonymous said...

lovely.
truly beautiful interpretaion of the challenge.
i love the concept of the scar and notion of what is left behind becoming a part of the "new", the history informing the present.
love it.
[esp. the skirt repair image - my fav. :) ]

Loong said...

What a great metaphor!! This is my favorite blog so far...
I love the saying that there is always a scar...
The scar is all we have left for all those memories...
I love scars, it tells stories...

James Baker said...

Really amazing. I love the teeth! Probably cuz dad is a dentist and mum is an artist, so particularly fitting!

Oh man. Those kittens are so adorable! The little black one looks just like my Mat cat looked when I got him 4 years ago. Gee they grow up fast :-\

Anyways hello =)

My name is J.R. Baker and I am a student (and a teacher) currently working on my PhD in Australia. I'm doing research on blogging and social networking, and was wondering if you could use your blog to alert people to my research? I've done previous research in the area which can be seen on my blogspot page. I'm trying to get a number of bloggers with varied interests and content on their pages to participate in the research.

I need a fair number of participants for the study, and so far I haven't had an easy time getting participants. My final thesis length should be around 400 pages so I'm desperate to get participants now so I don't have to cram writing up the thesis into the last few months of the degree.

I would really appreciate it if you could share my research with your readers, or even better participate in it yourself. I found your blog because it is one of the noteworthy blogs at the minute which is most excellent.

The link to the study for bloggers is http://onlinesocialresearch.com/ and the survey takes 15-20 minutes to fill out.

Don't worry if you don't want to pass it on or participate, but thanks very much if you do!

Cheers,

J.R.

Anonymous said...

both notions - your thoughts on mend, and the 30 pieces in 30 days project - capture my imagination.

A COLLAGE A DAY said...

i love your new work!
mend is a cool word.
i like it!

r.

Tracykins said...

I see Lisa's influence here. Congrats on the show.

izzie said...

I just love the all concept of it! Your idea and pieces nand just the gasp of it touched me more than you can ever imagine... you just 'wow-ed' me...
please bring some of the photos of the actual exibit over here, okay?

Anonymous said...

And I just got back from the dentist. Everyone in my family hates going. I think it's relaxing. Nice artwork. Thanks.

Janet said...

These are really a metaphor for life. And the concept of mending is really about hope. Your work is lovely and so evocative.

PB4LVince said...

Beautfiul!


PB4LVince
http://infopaintball.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

I love this collection, the thread holding broken pieces together yet leaving a scar, so poetic and inspirational (reminds me of a saying 'make do and mend').

wendy said...

love the pieces, the thoughts behind them - beautiful.
what kind of paper is that skirt from?
the texture looks lovely.