Christine Croteau’s latest works invite viewers to consider the experience of swimming. Do they feel the movement of water against skin, hear muted sounds while submerged, or see light dancing on the surface? For Croteau, open-water swimming is deeply contemplative and meditative. Her newest sculptures serve as a representation of this intimate and profound experience.
Receiving a Material Needs Grant allowed Croteau, who typically works with found and recycled materials, to expand her artistic horizons and introduce stained glass into her work. She cut, drilled, and sanded the glass for these pieces herself after receiving a tutorial from fellow artist and ArtsWorcester member Stephen Paulson, watching lots of YouTube videos, and embarking on a “voyage of seemingly endless trial and error." Using new materials resulted in a new creative process, which gave Croteau a chance to practice patience and meditation in order to center herself and tap into the intuitive aspects of creative work. When asked if any new techniques were used for this work, she said that sitting still for long periods of time, and methodically tying and untying knots could be added to the list.
Sound, movement, and light play an integral part in these sculptures, which were originally envisioned as a larger installation sited in ArtsWorcester’s front windows. Croteau purchased fans and additional lighting with the grant, which allowed her to recreate the subtle movements and refracted light that is experienced in, and on the water. “Sometimes the light shines all the way down to the bottom of the sandy floor and you can see the waves reflecting in the sand. When I turn my head to the side while swimming I see the top of the water as it meets the land on the shore...The movement of the pieces represents waves, water, the human experience of what it feels like to be traveling and transported by water,” says Croteau.
Croteau hopes that these sculptures will remind viewers to breathe deeply and remain mindful of our senses and surroundings. She was inspired by a sense of meditative reflection that is captured in the light, movement, and sounds of swimming. More than anything, she hopes viewers can find in her sculptures “a deep stillness that permeates our beings -- if we allow ourselves to experience it.”
Christine Croteau, Mrs. Buttersworth, glass, wire, and mirror, 12" x 12" x 36", 2019, Not For Sale
Christine Croteau, Mrs. Buttersworth, glass, wire, and mirror, 12" x 12" x 36", 2019, Not For Sale
Christine Croteau, Stained Glass Windows, glass, wire, and mirror, 24" x 12" x 36", 2019, Not For Sale
Christine Croteau, Three Deckers, glass, wire, and mirror, 36" x 12" x 24", 2019, Not For Sale