Bow to the Tower, acrylic & colored pencil on paper collaged on wooden panel by Irene Mudd. 40" x 40".
Irene is a 2017 BFA graduate of UofL's Hite Art institute and has been active in Louisville's art community ever since. She has been working with Revelry for three years as a curator & visual director. For her debut solo show, she uses the term “magic circle” which comes from the tradition of witchcraft, and refers to a circular field of space which is cast before performing spellwork,
and protects those inside from negative energy.
"The practice of art and magic are one in the same for me, I treat my artistic process in the same way I would a magic ritual. In this body of work, I process both the personal and collective trauma of the past 17 months through the lens of tarot, and I explore how art magic can be used as a powerful antidote in overcoming pain."
-- Irene Mudd
During the tumult of the past year, Mudd found herself creating talismanic art objects as a form of self-protection. Embellished with emblems of love, courage, and optimism, these amulets and shields offer the viewer a sense of symbolic security. These pieces were created as expressions of “art magic”-- a belief that the creation of art is in and of itself a magical act, and that the intention, labor and love that is painted, drawn or stitched into a work of art imbues it with great power.