JENNIFER PETERS
L’Abondance En Rose
Discarded Cloth Strips, Acrylic Latex Paint, My Vandalized Windshield, Repurposed Metal Corset
70 H x 19 W x 16 D In.
$1200
The concept for this piece was birthed on Ash Wednesday, while attending a service at Epic, my home church for many years now. As opposed to giving up, I chose to take on a posture of gratitude for each of the forty days of Lent. Despite my initial joy, I found myself reluctant to tackle the endeavour, as my own hurt within the Christian community left roots of bitterness within my own spirit.
There is great wisdom in doing, despite the state of our minds or hearts - intent and motivation are beautiful when they can be effortless and intrinsic, but this is not always the case and there are times when obedience, rather than peace, must guide our actions. Since becoming a Christian as a young adult, I have always been aware of his abiding presence within my life. I would be nothing without him and yet I have resisted sharing how his hand is continually at work within the lives of myself and my five children.
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.
Corinthians 15:10 New International Version (NIV)
This gown conceals a litany of strips of cloth, upon which are written the prayers of gratitude throughout this season of “taking on” in preparation for Easter. The prayers are not visible, but they comprise the core of the gown, without which its abundance would not be possible, just as gratitude is the root of an abundant life. The material is up-cycled cloth, including some turquoise (the colour of healing) and sheets from my broken marriage.
My work as an artist is not dark, rather it is about redeeming what has been lost and finding beauty within every experience. This gown is in keeping with this trajectory, however it is the first direct expression of my faith - a faith that has birthed and inspired my creativity from day one.
I am indebted to his grace; he has truly been a father to my children and an abiding source of love and comfort within my own walk as a mother, a woman, a child and a broken teen.