The underlying thought of my work is that of connectedness, a cord running through everyone and everything that binds all together in a certain sameness. Relationships between myth and reality, past and present, the blurred lines between opposing forces: all these I enjoy and include in my work. Through painting and drawing, I mean to express myself, to connect with more people than I could through my daily life. However, when something is communicated through my work, I hope that it is more than my expression only.
I started taking images off stretchers while thinking of dried animal skins, tapestries, and quilts. Loose canvas seems to me more natural, less artificial, without the imposed perfection of square corners and straight edges. In short, I enjoy flaws, little defects that make things more real by adding personality and life. Faults within the canvas itself I also find interesting, and in truth, I would weave my own canvas if I could.
I have been including weaving and sewing in my pieces in increasing amounts. I consider my current work to be interwoven paintings. Not only is it a means of collage on canvas, but I also find the act of sewing by hand a way to connect to craft, traditional women's work, aspects from my childhood, and to engrain elements and ideas into the fiber of the canvas.
--Jamie Rutherford Florea