Finding The Way: Vasilisa Collection

Artist Statement
These foundation works form the beginning of my first constructed body of work. To work to a theme / story has assisted in focusing my creativity, and resulted in a determination to reach a final outcome of a substantial body of work.

Vasalisa Works.

Initially I read Vasalisa countless times, to commit it to memory so that I could ‘tell’ the story rather than read it to my children. Vasalisa is more than an interesting folk tale of the heroine overcoming adversity. The Jungian psychology (found within many folk tales) reveals Vasalisa as an initiation story, a tale of the growth of a young girl into a woman. All the traditional elements are included in the story; the death of a mother, the introduction of a step mother, cruelty, searching, the Witch and of course the challenges that the young girl overcomes to complete the conquest and experience growth and maturity. The reflected aspects of the self are embodied in these elements of the tale.
Through the use of symbols or motifs I strive to visually retell the story.

My attempts to stay true to the story are also reflected in my choice of printmaking technique; relief printing is an acknowledgment of the
European roots of Vasalisa.