Pam Relitz
"La Femme de Terre"
 (Photo by Tom Caroll) |
 (Photo by Tom Caroll) |
 (Photo by Charles Fyer) |
La Femme de Terre, woman of the earth, The Goddess, and what she means to me, is represented in this garment. The Once and Future Goddess, “A Sweeping Visual Chronicle of the Sacred Female and Her Reemergence in the Cultural Mythology of Our Time” by Elinor W. Gadon was my inspiration for this complex cloth garment, my mantle.
The Goddess represents “the pattern of nature (which) is birth, growth, death, decay, and rebirth.” Specifically, the spiral symbolizes renewal and the wheat sheaves growth. The walnut leaf from my yard, which I carved into a stamp, is my interpretation of my personal growth, as well as that of nature, which surrounds my family and me. Red is important and signifies the female cycle, birth, and rebirth. The royal purple trim, cut from a vintage Japanese obi, honors the garment’s silhouette and the throne of the Goddess. The complex cloth was created using dyes, fabric paints, commercial stencils, as well as stencils and stamps created by me. The fabric is silk crepe de chine.