ARTIST STATEMENT

Creation/Collaboration/Kintsugi

This body of work approaches the idea of damage and repair in a hopeful vein. The landscape of northwest Texas begins the conversation and a unique collaboration brings significant changes and challenges.

Kintsugi is a Japanese tradition, many centuries old, of repairing cracked ceramic pieces with gold. Instead of discarding the broken pottery and viewing it as no longer useful, the cracks are filled with gold and new life is infused into the piece. It is not repaired to cover up the damage and appear the same as it was, rather it is something new altogether. It becomes something that displays the damage and the healing and then is transformed into an object perhaps more splendid than it was initially.

These landscape paintings are a venture into collaboration and kintsugi.

MY KINTSUGI ADVENTURE – THE PROCESS

Conceive of the idea
Reject the idea. Rethink. It’s a good idea. Reject the idea. No, it’s a good idea. I believe I’m stuck with this idea.
Make trips to family property in Knox County to be inspired by and to take photos of the landscape.
Create the landscape watercolors. I fall in love with some of them. Some of them I don’t. Knowing the next step of the process creates tension, hesitance, and relief.
Ask my three brothers who own guns if they would be willing to damage my paintings. They said yes.
Meet my brothers at family property. I cover the paintings with paper and draw a simple design on the paper. They don’t ever see the actual painting. They see a simple design drawn on white paper. They shoot.
I take the covered up paintings home. After a few weeks, I make time to look at how they have changed.
Final step, rework the paintings.

Penelope Bisbee

Penelope Bisbee