Art Proposal:

“We judge others by their behavior. We judge ourselves by our intentions.”

- Ian Percy

When I think about all the “intentions” I have had, I wonder how many things I would have done if those intentions had been fulfilled. I would most likely live in another state, be done with school, and established myself in a pretty decent job. Clearly, these things which I had intended never came to fruition, and far from it. Thus I have created this series of work entitled “Intentions.” It began, oddly enough, when looking through my closet. A beautiful vintage cocktail dress caught my eye and I began reminiscing about when and where I bought it. I had intended to wear it to a wedding, but never did. Then I thought the original owner and what her intentions might have been. Perhaps she bought it for a wedding as well. That’s the funny thing about clothes. They all have a specific purpose, an original intent. “I bought that jacket for a trip up north, those shoes for that dress which was for Ashley’s wedding, those shorts and sandals for the beach”...and so on and so forth.

Our clothes are the physical and tangible evidence of out intentions. In this series of work I visited local thrift stores and bought items of clothing that caught my eye based on color, print, and/or texture. I find myself creating a story for each piece. I imagine where it has been and what it has seen, or perhaps it has hung in a closet until finally it’s original intent had come and gone.

This clothing is the primary material used in “Intentions.” Some of the clothing I have cut into pieces and sewn together with embroidery thread to make colorful wall hangings. Each wall hanging has a specific theme. For instance “Seasons,” one of the broader themes, is made with strips of clothing worn in all four seasons: A tweed jacket for winter, gauze shirt for summer, long floral skirt for spring, and a lightweight striped sweater for fall. Perhaps the tweed jacket was worn for a very important meeting or the gauze shirt meant for a beach trip.

Some clothing I cannot bring myself to alter. For these clothes I have made “closet” installations. These closets contain entire wardrobes I am sure have had a life full of intentions, some good and some bad, but intentions nonetheless.

For many of us those important events in our life can be remembered through the clothes we were wearing at that time. The purpose of this nostalgic series is to have people connect to the colors, patterns, and textures that might remind them of one of those important events. Perhaps they will be reminded of that which they intended but never did, and be inspired to see it fulfilled.