Over the course of Paper Dresses, which runs through November 30, we will be featuring the work from the different participating artists. Two artists per post.

To begin with, Karen Arp-Sandel and Suzi Banks Baum, also known out in the world as FeMail.   Both artists live in the mountains along the state line between New York and Massachusetts. As FeMail, they began sending collage post cards to each other in February 2007, exploring many themes of common interest- the feminine figure, mandalas, the Divine Feminine, our yoga practices, poetry and inspirations borne in our women’s Moon Circle. Many of the same themes are explored in the work that they present separately at PRESS as part of Paper Dresses.

Karen with her Dharma Dress!

Karen’s work in Paper Dresses touches on her current work with maps and her ongoing exploration of dharma. She writes in her artist statement:

My work is about seeking. To me the Dharma Dress represents that layer we present to the outside world, worn like a dress, that can either confine or free us, depending upon the way it is designed.It represents how we prepare for our journeys in life. I am working with travel metaphors using maps and the instructions we follow to find our way. The map is a way of understanding. The dharma dress map and the dharma compass are reference tools that symbolize finding both my spiritual and my feminine place.

Like Karen, Suzi’s work in Paper Dresses continues to explore the work that she creates in her regular artistic practice. For the pieces here, she was inspired by Louise Erdrich’s poem, Advice To Myself, in which the poet admonishes the reader “to leave the dishes” and “to pursue the authentic.” she created the Permission Slip and a paper apron titled, The Umbilical Cord as the Original Apron String in response to this poem.

Suzi Banks Baum, The Umbilical Cord as the Original Apron String

Both artists have additional work in the exhibit. We hope to see you in the shop at some point before November 30th to see more of this work and the work of the other artists!