Upstate mixed-media artist Robyn Crawford believes “the magic of the feminine divine resonates all over the world,” and she is showing that in her upcoming exhibition, “Goddesses: Sacred Stones, Sacred Stories,” April 4 though 29 in Gallery II at the Artists Collective | Spartanburg.
An ArtWalk Spartanburg reception will be held Thursday, April 20.
“This body of work is a collection of mixed media pieces that are a combination of wood, acrylic, resin, metallic powders, clay, stones, fossils, crystals and other materials,” says Crawford, who studied at Emerson College, Massachusetts College of Art and Rochester Institute of Technology’s School of Photographic Arts and Sciences. “The works are colorful and reflect so much light. Each piece is an interpretation of a particular goddess from a different culture.”
Crawford hopes to “convey how the magic of the feminine divine resonates all over the world. From ancient cultures to present-day ones, goddesses are worshiped for everything from strength, devotion, motherhood, fertility, beauty, healing, forgiveness, love, success, creativity, marriage, wisdom, nourishment and so much more.”
The exhibition is a celebration of feminine energy and “the translations of these goddesses into abstract artworks of color and crystals,” she adds. “Visitors will learn the story of each goddess. I hope people will enjoy learning about these worshiped women as well as be drawn into the colors, sparkle and stones of each piece.”
Crawford, who lives in the North Carolina mountains with her two children, says she was inspired to create a continuation of her “crystal series” while “shining a light on feminine deities. Some of the goddesses I was familiar with, while others I discovered through my research. I have paired them with the stones and crystals that I felt would best represent what they were honored for.”
Her first solo exhibit at the Artists Collective | Spartanburg last year, “Elemental Journeys,” was the beginning of the current exhibit pieces. “They represented the earth,” she says. “I enjoyed creating them so much, I haven’t stopped.”
To create the works for the upcoming exhibit, Crawford spent five days digging quartz in Arkansas last summer. “Not one day under 107 degrees. “It was absolutely amazing, though, and I came back with over 300 pounds of quartz to clean and cut down on lapidary saws so I could include It in my work.”
Crawford has been a mixed media artist, photographer, teacher and creativity coach for more than 30 years and has exhibited work throughout the Carolinas. She says she loves working with new materials and finds that it “shakes things up and generates new ideas in other mediums as well.” She uses her own images, clay, acrylics, mosaic, handmade papers, hot glass, metal, resin, crystals and more “to create fun, colorful pieces of work that connect me to spirit.”
The 15 works in the exhibit will be offered for sale, with prices ranging from $375 to $3,500.
“I am a mixed-media artist who is always exploring and playing with multiple mediums and developing techniques of my own,” Crawford says of her art. “My current series is a combination of acrylic, resin, stones, crystals and other found objects. My work celebrates the unique beauty of color and combines it the shimmer and sparkle of crystals for an unforgettable visual experience. I strive to create pieces that evoke emotion, beauty and joy. By promoting the spirit of exploration, I hope my work will inspire the viewer to appreciate the color and luminescence of crystals and the elusive essence of the beauty of light.
“I’m super excited to have created this body of work for this exhibit and to be able to share it at the Artists Collective,” she adds. “This is a community of artists who are always so very supportive of each other. It really does feel like an extended family.”