Pain Containment Pod # 4: Depression/Anxiety

After some traumatic events in my early childhood, depression and anxiety became my shadow companions. I was privileged to partake of psychotherapy for many years, which was very helpful but insufficient to make living with the diseases tolerable. I resisted chemical treatment for a long, long time. During a particularly stressful period, I began experiencing panic attacks and succumbed to the lure of the medicated solution. I’ve been on a few over the years, and they work for the most part, but they have their cost. And there are still some days when depression, especially, escapes from the shadowy confines and grips me with its bruising tendrils. It wears me down and keeps me from doing what I love – creating.

Pain Containment Pod # 4: Depression/Anxiety (detail)

7” h x 23” w x 17” d

Materials: fiber rush, prescription bottles, nylon cord, dye, bleach

Techniques: twining, melting, boiling, dyeing, bleaching, hammering, filing, slashing

Form #1

An exploration of materiality.

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14"h x 11"w x 8"d

Materials: canvas, fiberfill, cardboard, thread

Techniques: pattern drafting, sewing, stuffing