Rising Tide

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In Rising Tide, I wanted to capture the feel of the ocean and the land as it has been, but I also wanted to hint at how small we humans really are when it comes to Mother Earth’s realm, of which the oceans are a major part. At this point in history, we believe firmly that our actions and choices have pushed the whole planet into irreversible climate change.

While the climate is changing, and I’m positive the changes are permanent, I think we’re prideful to believe that we’re the cause. I think, rather, we’ve hurried along a progression Mother Earth had in mind. That progression, like so many other transformations she’s gone through, will change the landscape and the oceans in ways we cannot today imagine. When you look at it from a planetary perspective, we humans are a footnote in a story of Transformation and Evolution that stretches well beyond our reach. The tides will rise, and they will fall. The question is, will we integrate into the changes, or will follow in the footsteps of the dinosaurs?

  • Materials: Hand-dyed cotton, hand-dyed silk, commercial cotton, cotton-polyester thread, ink.
  • Series: NA
  • Size: 28 inches x 25.5 inches (71 cm x 65 cm)
  • Completed: 2023
  • Current location: Private Collection
Rising Tide by Candace Hunter
Rising Tide

My Thoughts on the Work

Rising Tide began like so many of my pieces in Spring 2023, as a Start. When I began it in January and again as it hung on my design wall, it reminded me of a coastal landscape.

As I gazed at the Start on my design wall for weeks on end, it felt somehow bigger than those little strips of scrap fabrics sewing together were. I auditioned many different fabrics around it, flipped and rotated it, and almost gave up in favor of something easier.

My Muse poked me, saying “Just stick with it.” I sighed and let it hang longer until…

The flash of Sandra McMorris Johnson’s silks tucked away in their box caught my eye. I’d been avoiding using them – they were too precious to cut, after all. I pulled them out and, voila! There was the perfect color for the sky. Right under it, the rising tide ocean shimmered. That got me inspired. My Muse smiled, and we were off.

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