Empty Garden

I joined the online community of TextileArtists.org and have been joining in their online workshops, which are given by renowned textile artists. The first workshop leader was Debbie Lyddon. We had to look for a story through 3 found objects and make textile containers to store these items.

My 3 objects I found in our garden. They reflect my observation of my empty nest experience as a very personal one and at the same time as something universal with links to our past, to previous residents and to the future, our future and the future of the house. Life as a random accumulation of possibilities and transience.

I made containers out of a pair of old linen trousers. The cut pieces I painted with acrylic paint in a rusty brown colour. Because of the holes in the containers you can still see the objects within, and they are reinforced with wire and embroidery.

I made the openings on top of the containers small, as if to make sure these memories would not escape.

The form of the container is adapted to the form of the respective object.

These are the objects :

- a marble that was left behind by a previous resident

- a rust screw (what a beautiful colour!) of our former picknick table, at which we had so many family meals

- a pebble from the garden path. My son used to play with them.

I found this exercise really inspring. It made me see a whole lot of new possibilities in working with textiles. And I also found it very healing.

I am quite happy with my "objects". I think I will put them on a small dark wooden shelf  in the living room, that's how much I like them.