First Chakra: Grounded to Earth in Joy with Gratitude
Farmington River Project
Springtime
HEATWAVE
CHILL
WOODLAND 1.0
WOODLAND 2.0
AGNES
AFRICAN
A Story of Recovery
The first step in recovery is to realize help is needed. Some people have described their lives being “shattered” by their addiction or loss or other issues. The feeling becomes overwhelming as life spins out of control. This piece is 18″ square made with repurposed bed sheet, hand dyed and hand cut cotton layered and quilted with hand guided machine stitching, mounted on stretched canvas wired for hanging.
Step 2 is to embrace a spiritual foundation. This choice is unique to each individual. Here I chose the indigenous symbol for what some call the Medicine Wheel but indigenous people call the Sacred Circle. There are many, deep meanings but put simply, it teaches that we are all connected, we are responsible for our selves as well as our community and that healing is a life long process. This piece is 18″ square made with repurposed bed sheet, hand painted and hand cut cotton, layered and quilted with hand guided machine stitching and hand stitching, mounted on stretched canvas wired for hanging.
Step 3 is a process of moral inventory. This process begins with the courage to look deeply into ways we have harmed ourselves and others. One person told me it took her three years to complete this step. Others have described Step 3 as beginning with a huge sense of harm which, with time and effort, funnels down to something more manageable until, at the very tip, one remembers ones essential goodness. This piece is 18″ square made with repurposed bed sheet, African cotton fabric hand cut, layered and quilted with hand guided machine stitching, mounted on stretched canvas wired for hanging.
Step 4 is to make amends with those we have harmed. One person told me this step was like “opening the windows of a house that has been closed up for years and feeling the fresh air blow throughout.” The process is to clear ones conscience. It is not essential to be forgiven – only to apologize. For this I chose the Japanese tradition of kintsugi. Translated, kin means gold and tsugi is repair. For example, when a bowl is broken, the pieces are glued back together and then the cracks are painted with gold thus making the bowl even more beautiful. This piece is 18″ square made with repurposed bed sheet, hand painted and hand cut cotton layered and quilted with hand guided machine stitching, mounted on stretched canvas wired for hanging.
Step 5 is to create a new path. For this I chose the Buddhist and Hindu symbol of unaloma, or path to freedom. This symbol has three parts and is read from the bottom up: The spiral is the time before spiritual awakening when we don’t know what direction to go in; next, the swirl of winding roads that get smaller as we advance; then the straight line or clear vision of a new path. The disconnected dot at the top is to remind us of the ever present uncertainty of life. This piece is 18″ square made with repurposed bed sheet, hand painted and hand cut cotton, paracord, layered and quilted with hand guided machine stitching, mounted on stretched canvas wired for hanging.
Step 6 is to commit to helping others on their path to recovery. I chose this tree of life as a universal symbol of celebration and hope. The colors of the leaves are lively and all are connected to each other and to Earth by the trunk of the tree.
Remembering that recovery takes place “one day at a time”, this connection to others along each step of the path remains vital throughout ones life. As the “dot” at the top of the unalome symbol reminds us, life’s path is full of uncertainty and anyone of us at any time may need help.
The Sacred Circle teaches us that we are all connected and that Earth is our home. We must help each other.
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White Work
60″ x 24″, repurposed wedding gowns, bridal lace and buttons, repurposed cellophane, vintage doilies, mounted on stretched canvas. Commissioned piece.
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White Work 2.0
A friend gave me her mother’s wedding dress from the 1940’s. It was a buttery satin. I deconstructed the dress, cut the satin into strips, removed the buttons and loops, selected parts of the crown from the veil. I made a paintbrush from pine needles, using a twig from a forsythia bush for the handle, to add wispy marks of blue paint to the satin. I mounted it on stretched canvas. Wedding dresses hold so many memories – not hall are good. I honor each dress I am given.
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PRIMAL
This work is about texture, shape, shadow and sustainability.
Repurposed silk gown and wool skirt; vintage hand made doilies, discarded high tech power cords.
The overall effect is evocative of a primal, swampy landscape, suggesting themes of decay, rebirth, and the unexpected beauty found in discarded materials.
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Family Dinner
This still life, featuring a vintage doily tablecloth, dinner plates, flatware, and iPhones with their power cords, invites contemplation on the multifaceted nature of connection and presence.
The carefully arranged scene suggests the potential for joy, love, and companionship, while the unplugged power cords subtly highlight the agency we possess in choosing how and when we engage with technology.
It prompts us to consider the balance between the tangible and digital realms shaping our relationships and interactions.
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The Chakra Project
The Chakra Project. The Chakra’s are an ancient method of understanding human energy and its effects. I am not a scholar of the Chakra’s. These art works are my personal interpretations. You may find many more if you choose to research.
First Chakra: Grounded to Earth with Joy and Gratitude is the root chakra. I call on this energy center when I am feeling like I am going in many directions and I need to remember gratitude and to regain focus. This art work is 36″ square with hand cut cotton, silks, cellophane, plastic shopping bags, layered with hand guided machine stitching, mounted on stretched canvas with wood frame, wired for hanging.
If interested, contact me at catherinelavoieartist@gmail.com
The Second Chakra: Creativity and Self Discipline. 36″ square, layered hand cut cotton and silk, hand guided machine stitching, mounted on stretched canvas with wood frame, wired for hanging. Creating art is like creating life – it requires a great deal of self discipline. Discipline is related to the word disciple. A disciple is someone who is devoted to something. Self discipline is when we are “devoted to” or love ourselves enough to do what is best for our well being. This piece was very difficult for me because it required commitment to deep concentration. I am grateful I stayed with it.
If interested, contact me at catherinelavoieartist@gmail.com
Third Chakra: Courage and Responsibility. 36″ square, hand cut and layered cotton, silk, plastic shopping bags and discarded high tech power cords, hand guided machine stitching, mounted on stretched canvas, wood frame, wired for hanging. Courage is found not just the wonderful extraordinary events of heroes but also in the daily behaviors of individuals. It’s easy to be a good Jew or Christian or Buddhist when everything is going fine and there are no challenges. It’s when we are faced with difficulties that we get to practice what we believe. We take responsibility for our choices and we walk the walk. This piece represents to me a type of shield or energy field that reminds us who we are and that our choices have consequences.
If interested, contact me at catherinelavoieartist@gmail.com
Fourth Chakra: Compassion and Loving Kindness. 36″ square, hand cut and layered batik cotton and bubble wrap fused to cotton panel, mounted on stretched canvas, wood frame, wired for hanging. The Dahali Lama affirms that Love is his religion. This is the Heart Chakra, the center of loving kindness and compassion. When I focus my awareness here, I immediately relax, exhale, feels my shoulders drop and a gentle smile on my face.
If interested, contact me at catherinelavoieartist@gmail.com
Fifth Chakra: Truth and Non-Judgement: 36 ” square, hand cut and layered repurposed silk drapery, photos transferred to fabric, hand stitching and hand guided machine stitching, mounted on stretched canvas, wood frame, wired for hanging. To search for truth and to withhold judgement is hard work! Still, I continue to attempt this vibration because it offers such freedom. Holding judgement takes up a lot of energy which I would rather have for making art.
If interested, contact me at catherinelavoieartist@gmail.com
Sixth Chakra: Mindfulness and Wisdom: 36″ square, outer border is digital print on fabric of random coding hand cut, layered and stitched via hand guided machine stitching. The Yin/Yang symbol is hand cut discarded high tech power cords manipulated and attached with hand guided machine stitching. This piece is attached to stretched canvas, has a wood frame and wired for hanging. The Yin/Yang is a symbol of wisdom. One way to think about it is that everything is connected to everything else: the white holds a bit of black and the black contains a bit of white. This is balance. Mindfulness is the collection of data, Wisdom is what we do with that data. If interested, contact me at catherinelavoieartist@gmail.com
Seventh Chakra: Connected to Spirit Observing the Present Moment: 36″ square, hand cut and layered hand dyed cotton, hand guided machine stitching, mounted on stretched canvas, wood frame, wired for hanging. I was thinking of the growth rings of a tree when I created this. I think of trees as spiritual beings. So often I find myself absorbed with the past or worried about the future but when I walk among trees, I feel fully present. A wise person said: “If you are angry, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you in the the present.”
If interested, contact me at catherinelavoieartist@gmail.com out really stairs three times circle
Catherine Lavoie with members of the Torrington Arts and Culture Commission: Eric Hammer, Bill Haygood, Ed Cannata in the gallery at city hall.
I am Catherine Lavoie, an American textile artist born in Connecticut. I grew up with quilts made by my grandmother and aunt. Inspired by Amish quilts, I learned the art of re-purposing cloth doing all stitching by hand.
My approach to creating art is to use materials that I already have or that I rescue from thrift stores or friends trash cans. When I actually purchase something for a piece, it is only after careful thought
Now that I am retired from my beloved profession as a Nurse Practitioner, I find immense joy in creating art that I intend to be beautiful, meaningful and inspirational.
FEATURED IN:
Study of 7 chakras leads to Lavoie’s 7-piece Torrington exhibit
Republican American Magazine
Catherine Lavoie Textile Artist 