Crochet Series
In recent years I have been exploring ways to enhance my figurative work via different mediums, and adding fiber was the first logical choice. By taking crochet – a craft passed down by my grandmother – and redefining its purpose from functional to conceptual, I address ideas of breaking cycles and healing. In my practice, I use crochet as a tool to provoke curiosity and encourage reflection of heavy subject matter. As a medium, crochet requires a patient hand to create work one stitch at a time, and cannot be mechanically produced. Similarly, change and growth are achieved step by step, or stitch by stitch. These processes inherently weave together the concepts addressed in my work, and I hope to create representation and relatability for silenced narratives and inspire people to start their own journey of growth.
"Stitch by Stitch, I Come Apart" | 2024 | oil on canvas and crochet | 74" x 20" _____________________________________________________________________ This piece represents the face one puts on while everything inside feels as if it is unraveling. Throughout the healing process, one has to inevitably navigate uncomfortable feelings. This piece visually shows the challenge of balancing internal struggles of healing with the external demands of life
"I Rebuild What I Break Down" | 2024 | oil on canvas and crochet | 60" x 74" x 10" _____________________________________________________________________ This piece represents an intentional journey of healing after abuse and trauma. It depicts the process of stripping oneself to the core and rebuilding something new and beautiful. While one can never return to what they once were, the damage is irreversible, transformation remains possible.
"In the Thick of It" | 2024 | oil on canvas and crochet | 36" x 31" _____________________________________________________________________ This piece portrays extreme tension of survival mode after trauma and abuse. The subject bears cuts she didn’t inflict herself, stretching to survive—but is that really living? She is pinned beneath the weight of forces that have fractured her, yet her gaze remains unbroken.
"Painted in a Corner" | 2024 | oil on canvas and crochet | 32" x 30" x 6" _____________________________________________________________________ This piece symbolizes a stage in the healing process where the waters are beginning to calm, yet this tranquility feels unfamiliar and uncomfortable. As humans, we naturally seek comfort, and often, we return to familiar patterns of abuse or trauma because they are what we know. Breaking patterns is uncomfortable.
"Painted in a Corner" - Detail
"Switching Stitches" | 2023 | oil on crochet canvas | 44" x 36" _____________________________________________________________________ This painting depicts my mom, my sister and me. The stitches start as single stitches that are very tight. As the canvas continues down, the stitches switch from single to double to triple in no order, signaling that change isn't linear.
"It Ran in the Family" | 2023 | oil on crochet canvas | 40" x 40" _____________________________________________________________________ This painting honors four generations from my mother’s side, using a double stitch technique and crochet hook passed down from my great-grandmother to me. It reflects how family methods and tools shaped my work, symbolizing how cyclical patterns, like trauma, are passed down through generations.
"Nana" | 2023 | oil on crochet canvas | 20" x 16" ____________________________________________________________________ Highlighting my grandmother first was important to this series, as she was the catalyst for the healing and transformation of my family’s generational cycle. She was the first woman in our family to shift the financial dynamic by becoming the "breadwinner," working three jobs simultaneously.