Tsunami March will be on exhibition at The Drawing Room Annex in

Adaptations: LAND

EXHIBITION DATES: October 1st - November 13th

Artist talk: October 25, 4-7pm
Gallery open Tuesday -Sunday 11-7
780 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110

I began this painting in March of 2012 during my residency at the Vermont Studio Center. That month was the one year anniversary of the 9.03 Tōhoku earthquake and the tsunami that followed.

It also coincided with the one year anniversary of the passing of my sister. She chose to leave, and the internal devastation felt by those left behind was all engulfing.

That day, I was in my studio, intentionally avoiding work and hard feelings. I was perusing the internet, and there were many pictures revisiting the destruction in Japan from the tsunami. Among those images, several kept popping up: the aerial views of the debris floating in a clinging mass following the current; a gigantic pile of clothes piled up just below a range of mountains; and several shots of a project to salvage family photographs that were recovered in the aftermath, drying in rows on clothing lines. It was strange to see an event of such magnitude limited to a small screen, and I sought to reconcile that by tapping into my own grief with the tools I have. I created a compilation of these images into a large painting with the intent of reflecting the enormity of what happened and the loss that occurred.

I reengaged with it recently to bring it to the next stage. I created the sleeves to hang the painting and used a stitch inspired by the Sashiko method that originated in Northern Japan. This practical stitching method strengthens old garments and employs a non-wasteful mindset. It is with this mending mindset that I approached the work to help literally support the painting. 

This next iteration was only possible through leaning on my community due to the sheer size of the painting and my novice skills with new materials and methods. The bamboo that the painting hangs on was harvested by and transported from a friend's property. I had conversations with other fabric artists, designers and friends as sounding boards as I decided on a solution for how to hang the painting within the Annex. I had immeasurable help to iron the interface on the back of the painting and install the piece several times to create unique magnet pockets on the back of the painting to hold it steady.  

As I worked through this process I realized how much I have learned through the life of this painting. I have grown in my artistic technique and willingness to create space for grief, loss and reconnection. I have witnessed how community is created by those who survive the sudden redistribution of the emotional and physical landscape. The salvaging of the photographs is a beautiful example of this and why I instinctually chose to depict it in the painting. This new understanding manifested through the mediative act of sewing; the act of a novice mending. I have started to incorporate thread within the painting to amplify this tenacity of the human spirit. It will continue.

*The images referenced were from the Associated Press and the US Navy.

**The photo project that was spearheaded shortly after the tsunami by Fuji Film is titled The Photo Rescue Project. More information can be found at: http://www.fujifilm.com/support/photo_rescue/index.html#mokuji

*** Special thanks to Jane Lee, Mike (Mac) McNamara, Dioanna (Dee) Deem, Jordan Vail, Joe Mangine, Kelly Hemphill, Erin and Jim Stack and the folks at Fabric Outlet and The Drawing Room.