(Artist Reflection)

Nancy Hemenway Barton was a tactile artist of spectacular capacity. “She created an art form she called “bayetage” — a combination of flower-dyed wool, bayeta, and collage.¹” – her art reflects movement found in nature, primarily communicated through fabric (although she did use other mediums).

There is one piece of epic proportion called, “Thaw²“, which I met at the Denver Art Museum earlier this year. Encountering the piece was daunting at first. My brain saw but did not fully comprehend. It took beholding the piece for a prolonged pause to allow the layers to permeate through my mind, slowly I was able to articulate what it made me feel/meditate on. I, along with many others, stood and observed the hand-woven piece with awe.

What I enjoyed most about the exhibition of Hemenway’s work was the way she drew people into the presence of a moment. I will go so far as to say, a viewer must be fully engaged in the present moment to admire her art. While it is enjoyable at a glance, the art asks for a little more time and attention than a simple glance can satisfy.

In addition to Thaw, the curators put some poetry alongside her works. There was one in particular which was understated, yet impactful. Her art and poetry give me the same feeling of quiet and peace. I have written the poem below for others to enjoy, too.

The seed
of a bird
on a lonely bough
high above the earth
bursts and drops
fresh roots, air spun,
twisting down, down
until an armature
of wood begun so subtly spreads
to overcome
a gentler host.
Adventitious branch
constructing sculpture
from epiphytic heritage
explodes rock and soil
covering forest, simply
by existing without toil.
Its secret strength, ability
on air to thrive, while
a trusting host needs
nourishment to stay alive.

Moral:
Sometimes just breathing
is enough³

Her art and poetry, create space to breathe. Which reminds me of a Sabbath poem by Wendell Berry (which I have definitely quoted before, and is always worth repeating):

Sit and be still
until in the time
of no rain you hear
beneath the dry wind’s
commotion in the trees
the sound of flowing
water among the rocks,
a stream unheard before,
and you are where
breathing is a prayer⁴

There are pictures of Hemenway dwarfed by her creations (like the picture above⁵). When I imagine myself in her shoes, I feel a sense of awe and humility to create these pieces. Throughout the process, she had to quiet herself enough to notice in stillness, what was around her.

Ultimately, art is a response to our Creator, who created the world and exhibited it for us to see. Every artist sees the original inspiration differently, which brings great variety and diversity in the expressions back. The best art cultivates a sacred space around it, we don’t need to strive or hurry along, we can take off our masks, finally.

1. Biography | Nancy Hemenway Barton ↩︎
2. Thaw | Nancy Hemenway Barton ↩︎
3. Epiphyte, Nancy Hemenway ↩︎
4. Sabbaths 2001, Wendell Berry ↩︎
5. Ahead Of Her Time: The Life And Work Of Nancy Hemenway Barton ↩︎