Julie Grist: Mind's Eye

"Mind's Eye" 20"h x 16"w mixed media

I play around with paper from my life. I've been opening the sealed boxes that say 'love letters' in my high school handwritten script, taking the rubber bands off bundles of blue 'par avion' international letters from my years working in Asia, and diggning through old images and journals.

Opening the past in written form is like opening a section of my mind that I have totally misplaced. It's right there - my thoughts, the experiences, the dilemmas I lived through, many of which have completely slipped from my memory. Who was this Dennis proclaiming his love? That night on the floor of a dirty train heading up the Penang penninsula of Malaysia - how could I have forgotten it? The music that accompanied my life. The maps.

Opening these boxes has moved me into new territory, both in paint and in emotion. It's hard to find the time to sit and read old letters, but if you're ready with scissors in hand to rip it up, it's a remarkable way to explore one's past. Reading the lines, remembering (or not) the moment, and then tearing it into pieces to add to a creation that will reach out into the world, far beyond one's self.

I hope you'll come see some of these new works in my studio during the Fall Tour this year. I'll be open Saturday and Sunday, Oct 11-12.

"Genevieve" 14"h x 11"w mixed media