“The Teacher” Series

My latest series of wall spirits is inspired by a wonderful mentor I had when I started this latest stage of my journey: Tory Hughes. I talked about the inspiration and guidance she provided across several posts a few years ago, and the role it played in my development, so it seemed appropriate to reflect on those ideas now five years later and after her relatively sudden passing recently. She was a very big advocate of exploring ideas in series, and this developing series is in her honor.

I began with one piece, “The Teacher“, expecting it to be a standalone Soul Friend. The woven fabric in this body was begun to be part of a different commemorative piece; as some of these do, it stubbornly insisted on going a slightly different direction for reasons that became clear when I heard about Tory’s passing. She is full of intentional choices, symbols, and the very grounded energy that marked my time with Tory.

The second piece also stepped up unanticipated, and came together as a complimentary Soul Friend that spoke to the need to be explicit about our boundaries, in life and in art. By the time Lia was completed, I had figured out that this called for a full on series that is still in progress.