Carol Durham
ARTIST STATEMENT
In my pursuit of art, I have tried almost every medium, from painting, ceramics, printmaking, drawing, and fiber arts. None of it fully satisfied my desire to do something different until I discovered that I could use hog casings (gut) as a medium for art. Although few contemporary artists are exploring this medium, indigenous peoples frequently use it to make clothing and ritual objects. It is also a forerunner of Gore-Tex.
Gut is a marvelous material to work with, not easy but challenging. It often has a mind of its own. I have to wash it, let it dry, feed it onto a dowel, and cut it into workable lengths. It gives me the ability to make uncommon three-dimensional forms. Gut is a perfect medium to create my shoes.
Shoes let me tell stories. They are often shaped by political or whimsical themes that I come across in my daily life. The title transforms the shoe’s shape and design into a statement. I created “Bound” after I held in my hand an example of bound feet, a tiny Chinese shoe that told a story. I channeled my anger into a work of art. A high-top sneaker on a skateboard became “Boys and Their Toys” to represent my view of the tech industry in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Throughout history, shoes have told a story or hinted at the personality of the wearer. My shoes truly have the ability to speak.
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Graham Life is so precious. Through my art, I hope to convey my deep appreciation for the “life force” and I invite the viewer to share in the wonder I experience as an artist and protector of life in all forms. That “quickening,” that “life force” is a constant energy that surges through my veins and sparks my creativity. I am a creative; an artist, a dancer, a mother. I make art because I must. An interesting concept, an unusual form, or a sudden vision can steal me from my duties or awaken me from my dreams. My interests in preserving the environment and promoting social justice frequently drive the message of my artwork. My pieces often begin with a visceral response to an act of injustice or the destruction of our natural world and explode into social commentary. In the mid 1980’s, I passionately explored the ancient Japanese tradition of handmade paper. I was attracted to the use of natural fibers, water, and elements that promote fibrous interaction to ultimately produce a thing of beauty. Ten years later, I embraced the challenge of creating beauty and complexity from other materials that were raw and simple. This inspired me to explore a variety of media from transformed fabric and knotless netting, to repurposed, reclaimed, and reimagined materials. Then in 2009, life changes propelled me to become passionate about felting wool. As in making paper, felting wool transforms natural fibers through the use of water and fibrous interaction. By employing wet and dry techniques, laminating gauzy silks to the wool fibers, inlaying embellishments, and blending colored fleece, I create painterly fabrics, unique wall art, and exciting three-dimensional forms. As an Obstetrical nurse for four decades, I was entrusted with guiding women in the most awe-inspiring form of creation. Similar to assisiting the labor process, felting requires strength, calculation, patience, and a sensitive connection to the subtle transformation of the material. The fact that I am passionately attracted to the tactile, rhythmic, spiritual, water-dependent nature of my professions as a nurse and as an artist does not escape me.
