Mandrake and Amulet Sampler

These are hand-stitched with cotton thread on rice paper.

"Mandrake" 2013

With "Mandrake" I took some images from an alchemy book and combined them (along with leaves from a different source). I'm fascinated by medieval illustrations; their quality of drawing and color is both decorative and masterful. 

"Amulet Sampler" 2013

"Amulet Sampler" was inspired by Afghan war rugs. Many of these rugs are brightly
colored and beautifully decorative, yet the images in them are made up of tanks and guns and rockets, reflecting life in a context of war and occupation. I find these rugs to be deeply political and intriguing, with their visually joyful compositions created from objects of death and destruction.

This piece refers to the human burden on the natural world, with the weight of an ancient amulet (scarab), on one side, and a modern amulet (grenade), on the other.