'Remember, Sebastian', a solo show of work by Molly Bosley

For as long as I can remember, I have been frequented by wildly vivid dreams. “Remember, Sebastian” is my series of work in which I finally address my subconscious by materializing it in form. I use pattern and repetitive imagery in my work to represent the recurring nature of dreams. Many of my dreams concern my fears and difficulties presented in forms whose intimacy contradicts their more ominous character. My sleeping life is such an integral part of myself that I am compelled to create art from the experiences I have in my dreamland.

While rooted in the familiar and comprised of tangible visions, dreams are more about feelings and notions–unspoken and unseen things. To create physical art which mirrors the discord between the substantial components of dreams and their abstract counterparts, I have found a medium which can create a visible landscape while remaining ambiguous in meaning. I manipulate blank, white paper into pieces that are detailed and intricate, yet simple and stark. In creating elaborate scenes with blank paper, I present an object which is tangible and familiar, yet the scene is only a silhouette of the actual affair. This leaves an entire world of hope and uncertainty. Just as in a dream, the possibilities of how things will unfold are limitless and this presents the potential for any amount of joyousness or treachery. My work is a tug of war between the immediately familiar and the infinitely imaginable.

Scherenschnitte, which means "scissor cuts" in German, is the art of papercutting design. Discovering this 500 year old tradition has opened up a universe of exploring the techniques and continuously learning to perfect the craft. This work emerged from ideas that have been steeping for years. I have, just now, in recent months discovered how to materialize them into artwork. I have seen them evolve and transform from the conventional use of paper to this elaborate new form of dissecting and altering. In my work, like the fairytales and story books of my childhood, an ominous presence lurks in the distance. Utilizing silhouette images of the commonplace and the eerie, I record glimpses into the narrative of a life lived in dreams. The intentions of these scenes are not necessarily revealed until one fully examines the hidden imagery. The landscape of my merged images is at once delicate and haunting.