FINE ART

My most recent body of work, TALISMAN explores the place where joy crashes into sorrow. 

Photography by Amanda Ringstad 

Imagining joy as a joining of our sorrows has been an unexpected exploration. The loss and grief of the pandemic have been inescapable. Incredibly, the pandemic is one of the few happenings in human existence where every single living breathing thing was impacted all at the same time by a single event. It’s extraordinary in all of the amazing and deeply awful ways.

And this collective sorrow, while heavy and weighted, also holds a beautiful potential. Poet Ross Gay writes of joy being a joining of our sorrows, “What if we joined our sorrows, I'm saying, I’m saying: what if that is joy?” As an artist, I question if this is true. As a psychotherapist, I know that it is.

Photography by Amanda Ringstad 

My current body of work, Talisman, explores this joining and the ease and often difficulty of connecting in this vulnerable way. Each piece begins with the challenge of responding to the curves and shape of wood with leather in a variety of knots and weaving techniques. My purpose is to join wood and leather and connect them in ways where the challenges and sorrow of the materials are shared to create a new joining. Quite possibly a joy. And that this joy and joining of our sorrows might offer us the protection of deep connection at a time when there exists great possibility for a dramatic falling apart.  

For details about individual pieces for sale and to inquire about custom work please email lisaandersonshaffer@gmail.com subject TALISMAN.

Shown as part of Join Design's NEW ESSENTIALS at Bianco Gallery Seattle, WA

You can view the Exhibition Catalogue here. 

Read the review in Gray Magazine here. 

 

Photography Jenna Lynn