Rose Marie Prins

Artist Statement

I am involved with the tactile, sensuous aspects of materials, many of which are nontraditional. The source of my inspiration is the reaction that occurs when compounds are mixed or the changes that take place over time as objects weather. I am also inspired by the variation of colors and textures of soil from various parts of the country.

Found objects acquire new identities and metaphorical meaning. The work becomes akin to a relic that bears the imprint of time. Each piece is a documentation of my surrender to its daemon or spirit. As layers are added, building a textural surface, I am simultaneously unearthing an abstraction of my autobiography: the work is an external metaphor for an internal process; it attests to my own emotional, spiritual and intellectual journey.

By incorporating stitching into my work I am reclaiming not only women’s craft but a tradition in my own family: my grandmother was a dressmaker and some of my earliest memories are of my mother at her sewing machine.

Much of my work goes through a process of wounding and healing. The wounding is a violation: I tear or slash the canvas or paper; or burn portions of it with acid or a blow torch. I then repair the wound, an amelioration of pain and loss that is part of the human condition.

My conceptually themed, multimedia sculptural installations incorporate many or all of these processes and materials.