Annette Turow describes
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"The sense of connection with the female descendants in my family had been denied to me for a very long time. " --Annette Turow |
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"My
mother had been dead for 16 years... In July of 1998, I went to help her sister pack her things to move to a new apartment. I have always loved my Aunt Adele. She is an artist and she was my earliest mentor. As we finished our work, full of sweat and dust, she came out of her bedroom with a small box and gave it to me. 'These belonged to your great-grandmother, Hannah Rachel, who you are named for. I think you should have them, because you are the oldest grandchild and you have her Jewish name.' Then she added, 'I've even discussed this with my children.' I was flooded with sensations. My aunt and I exchanged few presents during my lifetime and this felt enormous. The sense of connection with the female descendants in my family had been denied to me for a very long time. I loved my grandmother, Nettie, very much and when she died a few years after my mother, that direct line was gone and I was alone. My mother was an expert seamstress and my grandmother had sewn patch quilts which are on the beds of the entire extended family. The images in these paintings came from that renewed sense of connection. The ideas for fabrics, sleeves, beads, buttons and brooches just poured forth as though I really knew what she might have worn. I don't often have the surety and strength that I had making these pieces. The beads were a profound gift. To experience the connection to the line of women, of which I am a part, was the greatest gift. I can really hear Nettie talking about the 'dry goods.' I hope Hannah enjoyed these beads as much as I have." |
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