The friend (the spider--why the spider?)
because
my best friend was my mother and she was
deliberate, clever, patient, soothing,
reasonable, dainty, subtle,
indispensable, neat, and as useful as an
araignée. She could also
defend herself, and me, by refusing to answer "stupid,"
inquisitive, embarrassing personal questions.
I shall never tire of representing her.
"Ode a Ma Mere" by Louise Bourgeois (1995)
Louise Bourgeois is one of my favorite artists to include in tours and talks at the museum. She was part of several of my virtual talks in the last year or so, and I always include Spider III, the small bronze sculpture in NMWA's collection. It's a wonderful sculpture to discuss even on a slide. You can see the shadows and it's interesting to see how it changes based on the color of the gallery walls. Louise Bourgeois is responsible for me coming to a neutral place with spiders.
Bourgeois started using spider motifs in her work in the 1940s. She would return to the spider frequently, and created large and small scale sculptures and other spider works throughout her long career. She associated the spider with her mother, Josephine. The spider was a symbol of maternal protectiveness, and that fit in with the relationship she had with Josephine. Her mother also happened to be a weaver, working in the family tapestry business. I love this influence on her work.
I've always been creeped out by spiders, but have started to come around more recently. I made a spider web early in this project as a little ode to Louise Bourgeois, and I've been trying to think of other ways to bring spiders into more of my pieces. The spider has a connection to artistry and creativity, particular with fiber arts. They're considered lucky, so why not embrace the spider? I don't need to have one as a pet or look at up close photos of them, but I can live in harmony with my spider neighbors.
And that's why I decided to do a spider week this month. I know spiders aren't everyone's cup of tea, so I get it if you skip this week. None of my spiders will be creepy or scary. Today's piece is inspired by both Bourgeois's poem and the legs of her spider sculptures.
Details:
Stitches: back stitch
Thread palette: DMC C310 (6 strands), 310, 666 (1, 2, 4 strands)
References: MOMA website, Revival catalouge
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