Lee Ann Bethel

My work is an investigation into the poetic nature of the grid. The work began with the discovery of my father’s handkerchiefs months after he had died. Triggered by the handkerchiefs were feelings regarding the connections to my father and the handkerchiefs’ materiality and construction. The spatial operations of the handkerchief’s grid allows an interior containment of space, and at the same time exterior infinite movement beyond the edges acknowledging links between memory and identity. The process of the work involves manipulation of paper and wax encaustic. The paper strips are cut, woven and coloured to reference the handerchief’s construction. The handkerchief constructions move toward and away from their subject and the interaction of light and shade is very much a part of the work. The painted and flooded wax encaustic has a rich and patterned surface, leaving traces of the hand through the brush marks and referencing the demise of the tradition of textile skills.