Laborious

Michelle Forsyth's  text work is a response to current events as reported in the media. One form it takes is quotes  from newspapers, when words have particularly struck her. She punches into watercolour paper.

Text Work #1, 2008, from NY Times, July 18, 1996; 20x30 inches, image from here

"Newspapers, the Internet and television shows that feature depictions of personal tragedy often foster apathetic ways of witnessing the world around us," she says. "To counter these alienating depictions of private spectacle, I favor a sensual approach to art making and imbue my work with tactile qualities of the handmade."

She has also done watercolours inspired by weaving, and a new body of work is based on the patterns taken from her husband's shirts. "These pieces are varied in both stylistic and material approach and consist of paintings on linen, wood, and weavings. Much more intimate in scope than my previous works, the process of making these paintings is a labor of love. Built by mixing a new palette for each painting session, slight variations in color are visible in their surfaces. Each work becomes a monument to the labor that comprises it."