Lian Brehm -Artist Statement

 

I am a gatherer of things that seem to attract me in collective whispers of meaning. It hasn't always been this way. As we mature in our work, we take time to refect and take stock of our surroundings. For me, the act of gathering plant stalks as visual line forms a creative connection to the earth and making use of what is offered. I delight in exploring a vast inventory of materials gleaned from a wide variety of sources over time.

 

My work has for some time been about the journey of creativity. The boat shape has come to represent this journey. When thinking of ways to explain what I do I often relate this concept to others and refer to it in both the physical making of art and the emotional connection of my work. I often use the visual and spiritual connections of places I have traveled; the landscape and architecture of place, space and meaning.

 

When my mother Emelyn, a fiber artist, passed away recently, I found I clearly missed the connection of creativity that we often shared. She was my first art teacher and so our journey of creativity was shared from an early age. After her death I found myself drawn to the concept of a spirit boat carrying bits of offerings to guide her beyond her connection to this earth. This spirit boat represents her soul passing through space and time. With her passing, the boat now has added meaning. My offerings are elemental, coal, salt, leaves, feathers each representing earth, water and air. The salt is a metaphor for purification. The salt boat surrounded by kelp, becomes a floating island of safe passage on its own. With my mother's passing I had the opportunity to make use of the bits and pieces of materials she to had gathered in her studio. When I am working with these materials I feel that I am continuing to have that conversation, with her presence. It seems fitting that I am using these materials as tribute for her safe passage.

 

I have chosen to include in this exhibition, an artwork of my mother's entitled "Time Scroll". This piece seems to bridge both Phillip's work and mine, and on another level transcends both.