Soft Systems 2027 | Series IV
Soft Systems explores mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion as a sustained condition rather than a singular breaking point. Created while navigating the realities of artistic labor—maintaining income through markets, projects, and continuous production—this series reflects the tension between survival within structured systems and a longing for slow, intentional living.
The work brings together painting and fiber as parallel forms of labor and care. Layered acrylic washes, pigments, and reworked surfaces mirror cycles of effort, depletion, and return. Fiber elements emerge through hand-stitching, knotting, and mending—gestures that hold, repair, and interrupt the painted surface without resolving it. Threads remain visible and imperfect, acknowledging maintenance as an ongoing act rather than a completed task.
Slowness is central to this process. The physical act of stitching deliberately slows my body and pace, creating space to regulate, reflect, and resist urgency. Through making these pieces, I am reminded why I create something out of nothing in the first place—not to meet constant demands, but to stay connected to care, presence, and meaning.
Soft Systems does not offer resolution. Instead, it exists within the in-between: where softness persists inside rigid structures, where care coexists with labor, and where continuing becomes both necessity and quiet resistance.
SHOP PAINTINGS HERE