Lindsay Stewart

Artist Statement

Eight years ago I suffered the loss of a loved one. I felt like my north star had been extinguished and I was unmoored. In the years that followed I vacillated between drifting and discovering. Over time, I was serendipitously introduced to women no longer in this world. They became my circumpolar constellations and guided me in very specific ways. These women each came to me through reading and searching for the voice of my matriarchs. I am now always listening for the voices and wisdom of women, past and present, allowing them to direct and nurture me on my way.

Women of Understanding is a body of work about a few of the women I have met thus far. Inspired by bricolage, iconography, and illustration, these mixed media assemblage works depict the knowledge and understanding each woman shared with their corners of the world. Like the Dutch Still-Lifes of the 16^th-17^th century, the flora and fauna hold specific meaning. Each work is made of watercolor illustrations, found objects, cast bronze, and photographs. The compositions within the boxes are influenced by Nichos from Mexico used to honor ancestors, loved ones, or religious figures. The cast bronze portrait takes on similar religious symbolism with the nimbus created from a found object. Each work attempts to emphasize the sacred authority of each woman’s contribution. Accompanying each piece is a quote from each woman. Their names are Margaret Conley, Alma Thomas, Mary Oliver, and Cecilia Payne. All of them resolutely and unapologetically engaged in works that filled them and in turn filled those in their scope with energy and understanding.

 

Alma Thomas, 1891-1978 – Painter   Bronze, Watercolor, Found Object  2022  13.5 x 13.5 x 9    “I’ve never bothered painting the ugly things in life.no, I wanted something beautiful that you could sit down and look at.”		Margaret Conley, 1929-1993 – My Grandmother    Bronze, Watercolor, Cast Paper, Found Object   2022  16 x 13.5 x 3     “There’s nothing quite so pleasant    No phrase that sounds more round   Than just to say, I’m going home   Where I can lay me down.”       - Excerpt from poem Home, 1962
Cecilia Payne, 1900-1979 – Scientist, Astronomer, Full professor at Harvard University   Bronze, cast paper, found object, fabricated steel  2022  16.5 x 17 x 3.3     “I was to blame for not having pressed my point. I had given in to Authority when I believed I was right. That is another example of How Not To Do Research. I note it here as a warning to the young. If you are sure of your facts, you should defend your position.”		Mary Oliver, 1935 –2019 - Poet   Bronze, Watercolor, Cast Resin, Cast Paper, Found Object   2022  11 x 14.5 x 2.5    “The dream of my life is to lie down by a slow river and stare at the light in the trees—to learn something by being nothing a little while but the rich lens of attention.”

    

  

Mary Oliver, 1935 –2019 - Poet  

Bronze, Watercolor, Cast Resin, Cast Paper, Found Object  

2022 

11 x 14.5 x 2.5 

 

“The dream of my life is to lie down by a slow river and stare at the light in the trees—to learn something by being nothing a little while but the rich lens of attention.”