As you know I’m hungry for direct communication with other artists. Two posts ago I reported on conversations with Julia Vogl (you can listen to some of her interviews on Resonance FM tomorrow at 4.30 pm). On Friday Shelley Rae came to my house (two artists in one month!). I discovered Shelley’s work through a tweet by Rosalind Davis I just happened to see. I’m not a great tweeter as I tend to feel my little life doesn’t offer enough interesting endeavours to share with the world and mostly tweet after I’ve posted here. Nor do I try to keep up with that ever expanding tweet-scroll, so it was a piece of luck to find the mention of Shelley’s work. I followed the link to her website and was bowled over. You must have a look. Beautiful, haunting work, to do with (childhood) memory, with trauma and mourning. I keep going back, esp. to Ma vie en rose, which I can’t get out of my mind. Raw emotion rendered in such simple and sophisticated ways. Makes me hold my breath every time.
I e-mailed Shelley and a lovely little on-line exchange ensued, followed by a visit here on Friday, which I much enjoyed, although I have to say I’m a terrible hostess, getting into a flutter about offering food and out of embarrassment not even offering cookies (sorry, Shelley!). The thing is, I’m not used to many ‘strangers’ coming in, the people I see regularly in these M.E.-shaped times I’ve known for ages, don’t need to explain what I can and can’t do, where stuff is… Funny on how many levels these challenges work, but I’m learning! Thinking now along these lines: If I can’t get to other artists maybe some can come to me…
Anyway. Shelley was here. We hatched a little plan. In the mean-time I’m working on my proposal and giving the finishing touches to Foundling 2 and 3. Back soon.
Not filth, not hair (2008)
Materials: crocheted from JaggerSpun Zephyr Wool-Silk, hung from mattress needle
Dimensions: 61 cm x 90 cm
