"Edge of Belief"
I N AN INTERVIEW WITH TSP, artist Bonnie McLaughlin writes: “My work was born out of an exploration of female identity, how that is formed in childhood, influenced by fairytales and other forms of personal myth making, and then communicated to the outside world.” This powerful statement initially caught my eye, as I browsed over McLaughlin’s mixed-media pieces and personal photos (which you can find in The Sister Project Gallery here), and it drew me into her work. The mythic characteristic of her art is apparent: In The Edge of Belief she mixes the playfully familiar (like a baby holding the letter b like a balloon) with the unknown and mysterious (we glance again to see how the faceless baby teeters on the edge of a ledge). It is a juxtaposition that has long emerged to the surface of my own fiction.
When writing, I have often attributed this characteristic to a contemporary female identity that struggles to define itself with both humor and cynicism. Perhaps McLaughlin’s work also compels me because we both are avid travelers (her photo journals from trips to Europe, Japan and Ecuador can be found on Flickr); she is also a sister to a brother; and she admits to finding sister power in the 1966 move The Trouble with Angels (a longtime favorite for me, too). The mystery in her art inspires me to keep creating, and as a woman of about her age, I am impressed by her vast creative goals.
For more on Bonnie McLaughlin, visit her blog.
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