Dream Catchers - or Not

Dreams are a vital part of my creative life.  I may wake up with an image, an object, or even a process that I bring into the studio with me.

Two Nets
Wire, pulp, encaustic, collage
©2011NanciHersh

The wire and pulp paper sculptures I am currently working on as part of my Inherently Found Series  are from a nocturnal muse as well.  These "nets" are a metaphor for what we catch, or what attaches itself to us as we move through life.

Shadow of drying Net

Presently, it is the process I am loving.  Dipping the wire mesh into a bucket of over beaten flax pulp repeatedly, and hanging them out to dry is like "wax on, wax off" of Karate Kid 1.

My nets are not the dreams catchers of Native American lore, and they may not keep away the nightmares, but they are certainly a way of noticing the moments of quiet and tranquility that can still be found in my life.