It was while planning a second visit that I first saw a picture of the Piper Stones, a stone circle in Co. Wicklow that sent shivers through me. Upon returning to Ireland I immediately sought them out. These stones – and later, many others – “talk to me”, and I’ve been focused ever since on finding new stones and using my art to convey the essence of these continuing communications – and, as applicable, the haunting interplay between these structures and the Irish landscape. I have since come to similarly revere the country’s more recent monastic ruins.
Hugging the Piper Stones
Whenever I work on a new piece, I research its “documented” story only after the work has been completed. The stones themselves – even their photographs – tell me how they want to be portrayed. I’ve met many similarly affected people.
I use a wide variety of colors, fabrics, and threads in my work. I custom hand-paint the majority of my fabric, and then – similar to how a stone mason works – cut out and appliqué each stone, one by one, working from the bottom up. I make my stones as realistic as possible, while the sky and landscape – which are central to the context of Irish place and timelessness – are far more abstract. I use a relatively unique stripping technique for the landscapes, integrating thin horizontal pieces of fabric, trims, and yarns into an abstract of colors and textures. In contrast, the stones can only be represented with hand painted and textured fabric. The completed fabric top is then heavily machine stitched to add even more texture and shadowing.