Travel Patterns

I’m currently calling my most recent body of work “Travel Patterns.” Mark making + Movement. I wrote about the transition from my previous improvisationally piece textiles focused on the line to this new body of work here: My New Direction for 2020.

You Drive, I’ll Sit in the Back with the Possum was on of the first paintings in this new body of work. And to date it is the only one that I painted with white paint. All the others have black. I’m sure at some point I’ll go back into the white and eventually branch out into other colors (I’ve bought the paint – now it is a matter a of the evolution of the work.)

In my last post, The Meaning of My Marks, I explained a couple of the marks that I have seen emerge consistently through the series and you can see from they have been here from the start – the long lines of shapes and the squares filled with other squares.

Over the past few days I’ve realized that long arcs are also appearing in most of the works – some as fabric shapes, some stitched, some painted. Some more for me to think about.

The Title

The title of this work is a line from a fabulous audio book, A Man called Ove, I was listening to while doing the stitching. The line caught my attention and it fit the artwork perfectly (I imagine this is what it might be to travel with a possum) and so a title was born.

The connection of possums to New Zealand was a nice bonus. Unlike Australia, where possums are protected, they are non-native pests in New Zealand and cause much damage and so they are trapped (among other things.) When combined with merino they make the best warmest softest socks and gloves ever.

Sold

You Drive, I’ll Sit in the Back with the Possum recently found a new home. I offer a thank you to my new collectors. And to the online covid 2020 edition of the New Zealand Art Show.