Veil of the Nornir

“From behind the veil, all humans look like mist beings, all events, all objects are coloured as though in a dawn, or in a dream” - Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes

The Norns are deities in Norse mythology and are said to be responsible for shaping the fate and course of destiny for humans and gods. These shadowy figures present what is to become, what shall be, and that which needs to occur. The Norns appear in pagan poetry, the Poetic Edda, as well as in the Prose Edda of Snorri Sturluson.

The “Veil of Nornir” is the imagined ceremonial cloth of one of the three Norns. Moths flutter around the veil sharing their messages. The sacred ash tree Yggdrasil is featured in the center of the veil. The fabric has been dyed using ecoprinting with eucalyptus. The leaf impressions are an orange-red, surrounded by a softer orange-yellow and a grey, black-brown where the cloth has been altered by the tannins of the dye bath and the ties in the dyeing process. Hand stitched leaf embellishments have been ecoprinted with locally foraged plants. Embroidery work has been inspired by Scandinavian chain stitching and Viking Age runes. Wool threads have been dyed with eucalyptus, madder root, marigold and logwood and overdyed with iron.

Veil of the Nornir

Naturally dyed wool, cotton, silk

32” X 29” cloth

2023

Video footage from Ritual Arts Endeavor: The Cycles of Birth, Life, and Death - A Performance and Visual Art Exhibition.

November 2023 at Cspace, Calgary, AB.

Muscimol

“Muscimol” takes its name from one of the active psychotropic chemicals of the Fly Agaric or Amanita muscaria mushroom. The woven work explores the mythology of Amanita muscaria, one of the most identifiable mushrooms throughout the world. The image of a red capped mushroom with white warts or dots is a common symbol in folklore, fantasy and fairytale. “Muscimol” is a textural landscape that surrounds the mushroom in shifting colour. Eyes and hands can be found upon close inspection. Woven fibers include wool, silk and cotton that have been naturally dyed by the artist using historical dye extracts, local plants and mushrooms. Some of the mushroom dyes include: Phaeolus schweinitzii, Cortinarius smithii,and Hypomyces lactifluorum.

Muscimol

naturally dyed wool, silk, cotton, linen, hemp, bamboo

13.75” L x 13” H x 1.5” W

2023

Lineages

"Lineages" is a woven structure composed of naturally dyed wool, silk, cotton, linen, hemp and bamboo. It is a conceptual rendering of a view under a microscope and is inspired by logwood and its use in histology. The fibers have been manipulated to create a fictional landscape of the inner world of cells. It is a blurry, textural glimpse inside maternal connections, transmissions, and adaptations.

Lineages

naturally dyed wool, silk, cotton, linen, hemp, bamboo

42X62cm

2018

Beat Series 

Portraits of Beat Authors and Jack Kerouac prose // 2015-2016

Machine stitch and hand embroidery on cotton

This series was inspired by written word and iconic images of Beat authors. This work explores the impact of the juxtaposition of machine stitch and hand work, as well as hand work and text. "Jack + Allen" and "Old Bull Lee" were shown in the group exhibition Ideas of Breath at Ayden Gallery in Vancouver, BC 2016.

Layers

Slow stitch hand embroidery and eco print dyeing 2016

Embroidery work with silk thread on chiffon, wool, silk and lace.

Base fabric was dyed in multiple dye pots using a bundling technique. Kitchen scraps like beets, onions, carrots, rosemary, fennel, sage, and tea were used to create unexpected colour. This work was part of a group exhibition, Eat Your Veggies, at Studio 126, Vancouver, BC 2016.