Summer 2024 - ongoing
I had been drinking celery juice every morning for two and a half years when it dawned on me I could probably make paper from the pulp. Everything that was troublesome about celery fibre in flat-sheet papermaking I couldn't wait to explore three-dimensionally. When thick, celery fibre is hard and dense as plastic, and when not constrained, the different lengths and types of fibre distort and pull at one another creating lots of movement.
I began making sculptures with individual segments attached together, then realised I could make stronger forms with one single sheet, so made bigger frames. Each piece starts with a vision for a rough shape, then I guide the pulp accordingly, allowing for the surprising twists and turns of air-drying that produce organic character. I then mix up natural earth and mineral pigments in plant-acrylik and paint the form, knowing that rewetting will put the piece through further transformation as it dries.
Because my days are framed by prayer and reading the Bible, the sculptures are always something to do with establishing the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. Creating them is the most satisfying art making I have done. I like to think of each sculpture as a page from an illuminated manuscript come alive, expand, twist, flush with colour, and reform into an organic, abstract version of the Word. They are essences, poems, worship, praising the mercy, power, and glory of God. He created celery and me and together we sing.
Each sculpture is around 50cm long and 20cm deep. Both paper and paint are archival, meaning they can last for hundreds of years if kept dry. Sculptures are for sale at €400, plus p&p. To enquire please email me at: aoifefia@outlook.ie