Artist: Therese Zemlin
Title: Mandala 3: Lichen on Spruce Branches
Attribution: Mandala 3: Lichen on Spruce Branches, 2022, Therese Zemlin
Year: 2022
Materials: Inkjet prints on Japanese paper, found text, weaving
Dimensions: 12 x 12"
Image Statement: The weaving draft/pattern is by computer scientist Ralph Griswold, 2005, #41506, from Handweaving.net. The cut up book pages are from Silent Spring by Rachel Carson, and Next Time by Henry James. The photo depicts spruce trees killed by a spruce budworm infestation in Brimson, MN. The patterns in textiles mimic the patterns in nature. The patterns of human behavior as reflected in the fiction of Henry James are reiterated by Rachel Carson in her descriptions of human endeavors and motivations gone horribly wrong. These associations are not obvious in the work, but hopefully begin to seep in around the edges of the viewer’s awareness.