Layers of Meaning

Mary Cozens-Walker 'Objects of Obsession'

Mary Cozens-Walker was featured in LoM last December. At that time, there were few web images available of her painterly-sculptural fiber work. This past summer, Fiberart Gallery had a show of her work and has archived several of the images online.

Boundary Gallery offers this insight into Cozens-Walker's work: "Mary Cozens-Walker draws strength from her memories of seemingly trivial events shared with her husband, Anthony Green, and their daughters - meals, attending church, visiting aunts, walking the dog etc. She introduces these subjects in a combination of her chosen media - painting, sculpting with papier-mâché and plaster, stitching, collaging.

Her pieces require a high level of skill though she is careful that we should not be distracted from the theme. Her boxes are not unlike doll's houses but with character and great humour including the smell of mothballs used, for instance, for Marjorie's Bungalow - an affectionate recollection faithfully reproduced of a member of the family frequently visited in her old-fashioned surroundings. Most recently, she has sculpted plaster heads, stuck on tall metal rods which are simple and erect, in total contrast to the delectable and ornate, folk-loric rendition of a scent bottle, Parfum Oil Seed Rape. Her Family Tree pays homage to three generations of one family, closely observed and then re-interpreted - her own way. Whatever she chooses to portray, her own ideas and style always prevail. As one title of her work says: I am what I am."

Twisted Thread offers a slide show of the Cozen-Walker and Anthony Green's work from the 2002 Knitting and Stitching Show. The couple has been married and working collaboratively since 1957.