Last fall, I was interviewed by Abby Weidmer who writes Alumni features for BYU's Department of Visual Arts website.
I'll be honest, it was a hard go. Not because Abby wasn't gracious or knowledgeable. She was definitely those things. But good writers are good observers, and that is what got me: she asked me things. LOTS of things. Specifically she asked about the not so tiny swath of 15 years I've spent surviving the aftermath of my husband's stroke in 2006 when he was 33.
Let me be clear: I still have my husband by my side, so I consider myself lucky. What is strange is being reminded that for most outsiders our situation is NOT normal (and forget about being lucky). Would I prefer to have my husband healthy and free from pain? Yes! But I wouldn't take back the strength, love and insight we've gained in the process of making our own "normal." We've honed in on what matters most to us: family, honesty, faith in our Savior's healing, living within our means, staying engaged with life, never giving up.
Sam is progressing faster than he has been in years. Nerves that were not communicating with parts of his body for 14 years are now coming back. Before now no amount of elbow-digging could force a response from certain muscle groups in his back. But hello, here they are, awake and full of feeling again! The challenge is coping with the pain he CAN now feel.
Abby wasn't satisfied with a short description of how Sam's health influenced my art-making over the past years. She wanted real answers, deeper answers. So here you have it, Abby Weidmer's distilled version of what happened to me and my family these past years:
BYU Alumni Feature: Jen Harmon Allen
Abby's article includes an image of a work-in-progress which I call "Louise" after the great artist Louise Nevelson who frequently and boldly wore a statement handkerchief in her old age (don't you think her dramatic eye makeup begs to inspire a future piece?). Following are images of my sculpture's progress. "Louise" is over-sized at about 20 inches tall.
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| "Louise" 20 inches tall, unfired terra cotta with terra sigillata surface |
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| "Louise" 20 inches tall, unfired terra cotta with terra sigillata surface |
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| "Louise" going into the kiln, before the last kiln ring has been added. |
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| "Louise" post firing. Note the appearance of a crack and some flaking of the terra sigillata. This was my first firing of a terra cotta piece this large. I've since figured out how to avoid these problems. |
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| "Louise" post firing. Note the appearance of a crack and some flaking of the terra sigillata. This was my first firing of a terra cotta piece this large. I've since figured out how to avoid these problems. |
