Last Day at Babayan Culture House, Turkey

This month in Ibrahimpasa has been one of deep reflection, absorbing the nutrients of this ancient and sensuous world. The work has come slow and with resistance at times, as any effort to compete with my surroundings falls flat. I finally surrendered to its will, and am trusting that the osmosis is complete and the internal creative compost grows dark and rich. Now 4 months into this odyssey, I am moving deeper into the vastness of letting go of the shore yet not having caught sight of new land. There is both discomfort and anticipation in this stage of the journey.

What I have to show is part of a small series I'm still in dialogue with - after buying a piece of an old kilim, and biting my lip as I cut into the beauty of what it was, I entered into some kind of relationship with the fragments, and began stitching onto paper, and finally adding paint. I will continue to develop this work at my next destination - Slovenia - and see if the different elements will come together as some kind of a whole.

I leave tomorrow for Istanbul, then Venice for the Biennale, and on to Branik, Slovenia, 90 minutes east of Venice. After this time of some stillness, I'm feeling the energy coming back and will look for the thread that binds all these places and experiences together. 

Deep thanks to my hosts, Willemijn and Paul, artists and creative confidantes ~

Kilim collage

Kilim collage 2

My studio in Ibrahimpasa