Amy Trobaugh
"Friendship and Gathering"

Statement

Process

(Photo by Tom Caroll)

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My mantle’s three layers depict simultaneously the layers of vulnerability, betrayal and acceptance felt as a long-valued friendship disintegrated over time.

The outermost layer of hardware cloth represents an emotional armor which often acts less as a protection from gossip than a web that traps unspoken feelings inside.

The rough but frail threads of the second layer were woven initially with uneven tension, then violated further: the linen was stained, burned, torn apart and left hanging with frayed hems and ripped seams. It was an interesting idea but an ugly piece, and, in the end an unnecessary one, because as I consciously destroyed my cloth, I unconsciously mended my heart. I decided not to show this maimed cloth. That portrayal of pain was no longer needed. Instead as I wove and wrapped the ends of the whole cloth, I healed myself.

The final layer of silk, soft on the skin and furthest away from public scrutiny represents the solace and constancy found when I lose myself in the seasons of my garden.

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