The images in my work have to do with archetypal symbolism and the idea of a collective unconscious. The subjects addressed are life, death, immortality, infertility, healing and rebirth through universal imagery. A feminine connection to this universal consciousness awakens images of fertility and delves into suppressed emotional wounds or deaths, allowing the possibility of healing and rebirth. It is through the use of a natural environmental palette that I attempt to draw the viewer into an experience of unearthing a personal primordial recollection just as an archeologist may try to decipher an ancient hieroglyph.
With inspiration from folklore traditions from around the globe, I rely on myth and symbolism to connect my own personal journey, not only to women of other cultures, but also other generations. The images act like a catalyst to aid in the process of storytelling, breathing continued life into these myths. It is through the layered processes of printmaking that allows me to bring all the imagery together in one cohesive life force, awakening the subconscious to begin its process of healing and renewal.
SYNOPSIS:
Tammy C. Greenwood’s debut chapbook, The Winged & the Horned, explores infertility, step-motherhood, mental health and addiction. Fertility images of the rabbit are woven with depictions of desolate desert landscapes, droughts and wildfires. The poems move across country from Texas to California with “horizons of pumpjacks replaced by saguaro cactus.” The Winged & the Horned maps a journey of healing, anchored in wonder of the natural world. Juxtaposed against a search for belonging, she interrogates the notion that blood is thicker than water. In this cohesive collection, Greenwood carries the reader through this unraveling, discovering that in a world without resolution, surrendering to the towhee, raven and barn owl, may be its only salvation.
URL: https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/the-winged-and-the-horned-by-tammy-c-greenwood/
