Existing comment:
AMELIA HANKIN
Nest on Wreath
Charcoal, carbon pencil, and graphite on archival paper
20 x 25-1/4 in.
Courtesy of the artist
ARTIST STATEMENT
The series of drawings is a nod to the poem "‘Hope' is the thing with feathers" by Emily Dickinson. It is a poem that, throughout the years, I have read many times. But this particular year, its message and metaphor felt more raw, weighted, and powerful. The human capacity for hope, depicted in the poem, inspired me to create drawings about renewal -- captured in the imagery of nests. The bird is absent, but its work is done. The nests represent the human need for hope, and the calm, quiet resilience of the human soul.
Overall, my work uses familiar objects that have been assigned meaning, emotional weight, and purpose: folded paper that predicts the future, feathers that catch our dreams, nests that represent hope and renewal, and repeated butterfly wings that represent change.
By the impositions of context and tradition, these images form connections with birth, regeneration, and death. Brought together, they acknowledge the microcosmic forces outside of our authority, which impact our lives in small but tangible ways. |