Boxes for Balance

Cathy Varvis  | Winter Trees Series

This series is about the stark beauty of trees in winter, as the season changes and they are stripped bare of leaves. No blossoms of spring, lush foliage of summer or the vibrant colors of fall. The beauty in the sculpture and strength of the tree is revealed.  It speaks of the cyclical nature of life, nurtured and strong, year after year. And within, lives all the strength and beauty to come, the possibility of new blossoms and vibrant colors. These are trees outside my door, across the street, down the road; beauty in ordinary places.

I use this as a starting metaphor for the lives we lead. Strong, lush, full of color and sometimes pared down to the bone; it is a series of cycles, endings and beginnings, overlapping and constantly moving. We pull from strength within and stand through the seasons, year after year. Each piece represents a time, emotion or glimmer of understanding of life, starting from within, beautiful in the most ordinary.

Shifu is a Japanese textile of woven paper cloth dating back to the mid 1600’s. It is a process of folding, cutting and spinning the paper into a thread. During the winter months, when there was little work; farmers used this material, making lightweight summer clothing. It was used by monks to recycle scrolls into a usable thread.    In keeping with the recycling tradition I use uncut dress pattern paper for my thread. Shapes are woven flat and then stitch together into sculptural forms.