Friday 17 February 2012

Sisters (no matter what)

I'm working on a project about sibling relationships. And as the sister of a sister I've chosen to focus on what it means to be the 'sister of a sister' - not sure what my brothers will think about this, probably being High and Mighty again, as in days of yore!? 

Once a big sister etc. etc. . . .

It's estimated that 80% of human beings have at least one sibling. And our sibling relationships are very often the longest lasting relationships that we experience, therefore the potential for influence is huge. 

Involving a high degree of familiarity sibling relationships can be emotionally uninhibited, and often, very intense, which can bring both problems and advantages. For many of us sibling relationships have a profound effect on our lives, whether we love our brothers and sisters or find them almost impossible to get along with.

'Children of the same family, the same blood, with the same first associations and habits, have some means of enjoyment in their power, which no subsequent connections can supply'  Jane Austen, Mansfield Park, (1974/1814, p223).

Deciding that if I used only my own point of view the resulting work would be somewhat skewed (and possibly too judgemental), I emailed friends and family for their opinions and what taken aback by the weight of replies.

I have opened a whole can of worms!

So I did what I always do when I'm feeling baffled, put my head in a book - I've collected a few over the years. For reference and work of course.
I needed some entwined forms (can of worms) so unearthed this little beauty. And I rather wanted to look at 'love knots' because it seems that whatever the relationship between siblings, even dislike and misunderstanding, the connection is infrangible and tangled.

Working out a few ideas, they will grow and change as work progresses.
Wanting to see how long cutting a piece of text takes and how it prints. Wondering, would I be able to keep the letters uniform? 

I take a small piece of lino for a test block.
Drinking coffee (again!) and cutting text.
First proof. This will form part of a larger piece but I think it's starting to work, yippee!

2 comments:

  1. Hello Mavina, I just stumbled onto your site as I was cleaning up, so to speak. Your subject material of sisters is very interesting , having three of my own , one being a half sister and myself a twin, but no brothers. So I guess you can see my interest and may I borrow your idea to work on something of my own in the future? Very inspirational.I like the print too and great colour.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your encouragement, and yes, do run with the idea - let me know what you make of it.

      Delete