Remember two weeks to slow the curve? When I returned from a surf trip to Barbados mid March and settled into quarantine, I had two thoughts, the first of which was I would have an unobstructed period of time to work in my studio and get a lot done, the second of which was that I would swim like crazy and be in top condition for my scheduled hip replacement. The two outcomes ended up happening on a slightly different schedule. The pool closed and my surgery was postponed and I found I was in too much pain to get much work done in my studio. Happily, as the summer months settled in and the healing took place, an unexpected turn of events happened. It had been a few years with reduced mobility, so much so that I had almost forgotten what it felt to be my usual agile self. The renewed energy I suddenly felt threw me not back into my print shop but outside to begin a new series of sculptures.
The series I’ve titled Wave Riders – a reference to the Papai or body boards for wave skimming and riding. A friend who makes and rides them got me thinking about creating a series of boards, using liberties with shape, thickness, fins and water worthiness to assemble into an exhibition – along with new paintings and drawings – that will be accompanied by stories I’m creating to give the boards a context and history, albeit fictional.
Mary Mead 