Art Quilts and Textiles by Susan Nash: Opening Reception

The big night has come and gone, and I lived through it. In fact, it was amazing! By all accounts, the opening reception for my first solo show at the Zanesville Museum of Art, was a success.  It was so much fun to share my work in this way. I found the gallery space to be wonderful...very intimate, and perfect for my work. The director and staff were fantastic as well. And the food and drink were superb.

In the process of working on my "gallery talk", I sat alone in the space for awhile. What I discovered, and what has been pointed out to me lately, is the repeated use of several symbols and images in my work. I shared this in my talk, and thought I would share it here with you, dear readers.

What popped out at me, as I sat surrounded by my work, was the use of hearts, spirals, circles, and leaves. The symbolism behind hearts is fairly self-explanatory:  love, compassion, and caring. Spirals symbolize evolution, and change. I use these alot, even in the fabrics I choose. Why?? I'm not sure. I work intuitively, and they just seem appropriate. My work is definately evolving, so maybe that is it. Then there are all the circles, which symbolize unity and wholeness. So why do they appear over and over in my pieces? Again, I'm not sure. I will continue to dig deeper on this subject. In the meantime, my biggest inspiration is nature, hence, the leaves. I especially admire the Gingko leaf, so it is no surprise ( to me ) to see it in my work.

While my show will hang until June 19th, I will be back in studio working and playing on new pieces. I find it almost cathartic to have my space empty of my work... freeing, in some way. It leaves me open to try new techniques; to follow a new path. Where this path will take me, I havn't a clue, but I look forward with anticipation. Perhaps you will come along on the ride with me? Hang on and stay tuned!