Melissa Louise Bolger
I am interested in the connections and relationships between patterns and objects found in nature and patterns and objects that humans create. Painting in a realistic fashion, the process fascinates me as I watch the piece come to life. Working out life's traumas, I explore the power color has to create a sense of beauty found in objects and patterns.
I received a wildly, colorful crochet afghan blanket for a wedding gift from my uncle. He told me it was made by my mother. I broke into tears overjoyed with holding something so precious. We lost her in 1998 to a heinous crime. I honor her through these drawings I consider portraits. The series of drawings is called A Piece of Her, A Piece of Us and is a story about processing loss, making family connections, and celebrating life.
One day laying on this afghan I could see the hours my mother spent crocheting through each stitch and knot. It was a profound moment in my life and a turning point for my art practice. Bringing the past to the present, I used this blanket as a point of reference to unlock memories of my childhood. These laser focused methodical drawings allowed me the space to reflect going back in time and thanking her for all the countless hours she put in as a mother. Creating a renewed bond with my mother, I honor her through drawing while creating something completely new from an old object.
I am greatly Inspired by this tradition of pattern making. As I depart from this tradition, I create crocheted objects out of my single use plastic as I try to soften my carbon footprint by creating art out of materials that would otherwise be discarded. I make colored drawings out of these sculptural iterations that contemplate the plastic pollution crisis.
