Self Portrait: Not quite, myself

Self Portrait: Not quite, myself Karly Michelle Whalley Plaster, white paint on black material and wooden board.

Water drops.

Steaming hot water holds me, slowly encouraging a form of restoration. Water entices my muscles into action in the morning and soothes them towards sleep at night. My whole self enveloped; my thoughts drift between the productive, creative and the quiet, calm. Self portrait: lopsided, off-kilter, not quite right, but made from myself; slowly, quietly, painfully.

The process resulting with steaming hot water.

Method: I moulded plaster to my face, head, neck, chest in 3 sections and then re-joined these pieces back together and poured a small amount of white paint on it.

The above is what I would now put on the artists statement of this piece that is currently in the Living Water exhibition at Collins Street Baptist as part of the Melbourne Food & Wine festival.

I have a love / hate with artists statement because I really appreciate them from other artists - I like to observe a piece for myself first, but then often find a great deal more when combined with the statement / title. I don't like to have every bit of the explanation laid bare so that we the audience can still have some input into how we understand it, but it can be really helpful to know what the artist was thinking. But they can be really annoying to write when you are the artist!

I had very little idea about this exhibition, who went, what sort of work was submitted....anything really, so I went with a 'safe' statement that gave it some explanation - at least from my perspective. Hopefully you may find your own connection to it.

Drop into Collins Street Baptist this week to check out the exhibition.

Statement currently accompanying the piece:

This piece explores some of the physical and mental relief I get from hot water, the hottest water I can possibly bear, especially in winter. I have fibromyalgia and soothing water assists in providing some relief from the pain and stiffness and begins to help me re-form myself, physically, mentally and spiritually, from my disjointed self with ill-health.

#art #artspirituality #illhealth #health #newwork #plaster #collinsstreetbaptist