Please note that due to the subject matter of this project (death/grief) some of the images on this blog might be disturbing.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Impermanence

Looking back I think that with my father's death I started to open to the reality of death. I wonder if we have to 'experience' a death or witness someone dying to start really to feel the truth of impermanence. Then the knowledge that all things are impermanent may shake us to our core.

Janice Bostok hankies




Janice Bostok is a sumi-e artist. In these works the blue hankie belonged to janice's late husband. The bamboo drawn on this hankie represents strength and intelligence.The white lace hankie is in memory of her grandmother - Mary Teressa Weir. The japanese character drawn on this hankie means'the still point'. The moment of emptiness.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Hankie Artwork by Erika Lehmann




Erika describes this 3 part hankie artwork thus 'The hankie with the initials EL is one of my own, the striped hankie belonged to by father, the kids mickey mouse highway depicting mickey mouse and minnie in their red convertable is a symbol of us whizzing down the highway and getting on with life!'

Monday, February 22, 2010

Beach walk treasure


Recently I went home to my parents home for the first time since my father's death. On my first morning beach walk this hankie washed up at my feet. It could have been my dad's...

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Community and Healing

This post is part of an email sent to me today by a wonderful artist who is participating in the hankie project. This project has certainly helped me enormously with my own grieving process. I feel now that I am not alone.
Grief can often be a very private lonely place, but by inviting every one in to share their stories and experiences by creating art work together, you have created a healing community.
I have often felt that our culture and society is now missing a process or way of dealing with our grief. Every one is sort of left to do what ever they feel is right for them, but this can be confusing and difficult.
Other cultures have strong traditions and customs which people follow and they feel they have dealt with the death of a loved one honourably and in the right way.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Hankies Available at the Gallery

Please call in to the gallery if you require hankies for your artwork, alternatively give me a call and I can send 1 out to you. As you can see I have collected quite a lot!!

A Patch of Sky - Hankerchief artwork by Monica Oppen

My mother died in October. She had been sick since January. That day after the night she died my body felt so heavy and so tired. But I noticed the sky. It was as blue as ever, like it always is in Spring. I remember thinking; how could it be so blue when I was feelig so unhappy? It was the most powerful statement for the triumph of life over death. My life. And her life in me because I was her daughter.