ELEMENTALS
IN PROGRESS
FROM EARTH TO WATER 2022
Embroidery thread on tulle, felt, and hand-felted wool. Glass beads. 27” diameter.
Within Hinduism’s early traditions, seven-colored spheres within our bodies known as chakras control our energy. The chakras, located along a central vertical column within the body, follow the rainbow in color. Each chakra possesses a particular characteristic of human behavior or life force. First researched in the west in the early 1900s, the chakras have formed the basis for many alternative healing treatments, e.g., Reiki and yoga.
Each of the chakras is associated with an elemental force. The embroidery pictured documents the movement of earth and water. The machine embroideries on tulle are attached to a felted wool pad by hand, so too are the many tiny glass beads.
In this piece, the wool is like skin that holds a tattoo of the movement of energy. Australia is said to be a country that made its fortune off the sheep’s back. Being an Australian immigrant, the use of wool material has particular significance. The wool was locally sourced in Virginia and felted by hand.
