Diving In: Water, the Unconscious, and Creative Process
Rosemary Starace, Intimates, 10×8”
Diving In: Water, the Unconscious, and Creative Process
The Sanford Gallery @ Zea Mays Printmaking Studio, Florence, MA
October 2018
The relationships between water, the unconscious, and creative process are the theme of this show featuring the work of Jennifer Addas, Peggy Braun, and Rosemary Starace. From the depths of the oceans to the rites of baptism, from the archetypal feminine principle to the regenerative cycle of rain, water is a rich, potent, and vibrant symbol.
The vast and mysterious dimension of the unconscious is often symbolically related to the element of water, and this show seeks to highlight that connection and the essential role that the unconscious plays in the creative process. Collaborative reflection on creative process has been an integral part of creating the body of work presented here, and short essays describing our approaches and discoveries about creative process accompany the work.
Above and below are several photos of my work on display in this show, along with the creative process statement that accompanies the work. These are all monotypes, meaning, in this case, one-of-a-kind, painterly prints. (Note: this series of work was also shown at Kimball Farms Connector Gallery, December-January 2018-19 as part of the exhibit Berkshires x 4.)
Statement
To grapple with this mighty trinity of water, the unconscious, and creative process, I set out in several directions, looking for the springboard that would let me dive in.
I drew quiet ponds that reminded me of scry bowls, seeking to glimpse what lay beneath the surface reflections. I followed the emergence of a “black spot,” which suggested the strange and unknowable populations of the depths—of both the unconscious and the oceans.
In the midst of it, the phrase “blood on the waters” came to me. Its visual cognate showed up as a red stain on the sea, and I became captivated by it. The resulting pieces are the works that appear in this show.
I let the ocean and the unconscious be interchangeable. The “events” that occurred on this sea of art became tellings of the way the unconscious buoys and rocks our lives. There’s nothing overt about it, no narrative, no biography, but the container is there for anyone to slip their own details into.
Blood is origins, blood is relatedness—and blood is brine. Blood haunts the sea and the unconscious—and this work—the way it has haunted my life. Sometimes the redness is nearly invisible, diffuse, just a hint. Sometimes it collects into more solid form, an egg or tiny planet afloat in the womb of the sea. Sometimes, it is not even red!
And sometimes it permeates and overtakes, the color concentrated and intensified due to a wounding, perhaps. It spreads out like a carpet or flag, a signal to dark fins and bright wings—including the mysterious kind that carry the hungry creative urge to its feeding zone.
Rosemary Starace, A Patient Signal, 6×6”“
Rosemary Starace, Double Star, 6×6”
Rosemary Starace, Stirrings, 6×6”
Rosemary Starace, The Escorts, 6×6”
Rosemary Starace, Whale Song, 8×10”
Rosemary Starace, Darkest Hour, 8×10”
Rosemary Starace, The Deep Meditation of the Universe, 8×10”
Rosemary Starace, The Once and Future Sea, 8×12”
Rosemary Starace, Sea of Safe-keeping, 8×12”
Rosemary Starace, My Stain (1), 12×18”
Rosemary Starace, My Stain (2), 12×18”
Rosemary Starace, Cradle (1), 12×18”
Rosemary Starace, Cradle (2), 12×18”
Rosemary Starace, Philosopher’s Stone 1, ~6×7”
Rosemary Starace, Philosopher’s Stone 2, ~6×7”