Pressed
2022
Watercolor, ink, and water, photographic transfer on silk
33” x 44” / 83 x 111 cm
Erin Bird's Pressed is a poignant meditation on memory and the desire to preserve fleeting moments. Utilizing a harmonious blend of watercolor, ink, water, and photographic transfer on silk, the piece embodies the artist's reflection on impermanence and familial bonds.
The composition features expressive marks drifting across the silk surface, where vivid forms float alongside subtle traces. This interplay mirrors how memories emerge and fade within the mind, capturing the elusive nature of recollection.
In a spontaneous act with her daughter, Bird gathered blossoms from their garden in rural Surrey. Each flower, plucked during moments of enchantment and pressed between thin wooden sheets, symbolizes an earnest attempt to halt time's relentless progression. This tender gesture reflects the universal yearning to hold onto beauty that is inherently transient.
Embedded within the delicate petals are photographic transfers of eyes—those of Bird herself, her husband, daughter, and son. These gazes infuse each bloom with haunting familiarity, serving as silent witnesses and guardians of memory. They symbolize the enduring connections of family, remaining integral to our inner landscapes even as time evolves our relationships.
The choice of silk as the canvas adds an ethereal quality, allowing pigments to diffuse organically and creating a soft interplay between light and shadow. The images seem to hover just above the surface, enhancing the theme of impermanence and the delicate nature of memories.
Pressed resides within Bird's "liminal garden"—a metaphoric space where past and present, reality and memory blur and dissolve. Here, what was once vibrant persists in transformed states, much like the pressed flowers evolving from fresh blooms into fragile keepsakes. The work invites reflection on the passage of time, the beauty of growth, and the wonder of witnessing generations unfold.
Water and ink stains permeate the piece, signifying the seepage of time and emotion into the physical realm. These marks blur the line between deliberate action and natural progression, mirroring life's blend of control and surrender.
By weaving personal experience with universal themes, Bird transcends the autobiographical. Pressed stands as a testament to life's continuous flow—the joy of witnessing her children's growth and the anticipation of future generations. It celebrates the evolving nature of love and connection, highlighting how each fleeting moment contributes to our shared human tapestry.
2022
Watercolor, ink, and water, photographic transfer on silk
33” x 44” / 83 x 111 cm
Erin Bird's Pressed is a poignant meditation on memory and the desire to preserve fleeting moments. Utilizing a harmonious blend of watercolor, ink, water, and photographic transfer on silk, the piece embodies the artist's reflection on impermanence and familial bonds.
The composition features expressive marks drifting across the silk surface, where vivid forms float alongside subtle traces. This interplay mirrors how memories emerge and fade within the mind, capturing the elusive nature of recollection.
In a spontaneous act with her daughter, Bird gathered blossoms from their garden in rural Surrey. Each flower, plucked during moments of enchantment and pressed between thin wooden sheets, symbolizes an earnest attempt to halt time's relentless progression. This tender gesture reflects the universal yearning to hold onto beauty that is inherently transient.
Embedded within the delicate petals are photographic transfers of eyes—those of Bird herself, her husband, daughter, and son. These gazes infuse each bloom with haunting familiarity, serving as silent witnesses and guardians of memory. They symbolize the enduring connections of family, remaining integral to our inner landscapes even as time evolves our relationships.
The choice of silk as the canvas adds an ethereal quality, allowing pigments to diffuse organically and creating a soft interplay between light and shadow. The images seem to hover just above the surface, enhancing the theme of impermanence and the delicate nature of memories.
Pressed resides within Bird's "liminal garden"—a metaphoric space where past and present, reality and memory blur and dissolve. Here, what was once vibrant persists in transformed states, much like the pressed flowers evolving from fresh blooms into fragile keepsakes. The work invites reflection on the passage of time, the beauty of growth, and the wonder of witnessing generations unfold.
Water and ink stains permeate the piece, signifying the seepage of time and emotion into the physical realm. These marks blur the line between deliberate action and natural progression, mirroring life's blend of control and surrender.
By weaving personal experience with universal themes, Bird transcends the autobiographical. Pressed stands as a testament to life's continuous flow—the joy of witnessing her children's growth and the anticipation of future generations. It celebrates the evolving nature of love and connection, highlighting how each fleeting moment contributes to our shared human tapestry.
2022
Watercolor, ink, and water, photographic transfer on silk
33” x 44” / 83 x 111 cm
Erin Bird's Pressed is a poignant meditation on memory and the desire to preserve fleeting moments. Utilizing a harmonious blend of watercolor, ink, water, and photographic transfer on silk, the piece embodies the artist's reflection on impermanence and familial bonds.
The composition features expressive marks drifting across the silk surface, where vivid forms float alongside subtle traces. This interplay mirrors how memories emerge and fade within the mind, capturing the elusive nature of recollection.
In a spontaneous act with her daughter, Bird gathered blossoms from their garden in rural Surrey. Each flower, plucked during moments of enchantment and pressed between thin wooden sheets, symbolizes an earnest attempt to halt time's relentless progression. This tender gesture reflects the universal yearning to hold onto beauty that is inherently transient.
Embedded within the delicate petals are photographic transfers of eyes—those of Bird herself, her husband, daughter, and son. These gazes infuse each bloom with haunting familiarity, serving as silent witnesses and guardians of memory. They symbolize the enduring connections of family, remaining integral to our inner landscapes even as time evolves our relationships.
The choice of silk as the canvas adds an ethereal quality, allowing pigments to diffuse organically and creating a soft interplay between light and shadow. The images seem to hover just above the surface, enhancing the theme of impermanence and the delicate nature of memories.
Pressed resides within Bird's "liminal garden"—a metaphoric space where past and present, reality and memory blur and dissolve. Here, what was once vibrant persists in transformed states, much like the pressed flowers evolving from fresh blooms into fragile keepsakes. The work invites reflection on the passage of time, the beauty of growth, and the wonder of witnessing generations unfold.
Water and ink stains permeate the piece, signifying the seepage of time and emotion into the physical realm. These marks blur the line between deliberate action and natural progression, mirroring life's blend of control and surrender.
By weaving personal experience with universal themes, Bird transcends the autobiographical. Pressed stands as a testament to life's continuous flow—the joy of witnessing her children's growth and the anticipation of future generations. It celebrates the evolving nature of love and connection, highlighting how each fleeting moment contributes to our shared human tapestry.