Advisor: Martin Levine

In A Dither

“In a Dither” is a show that’s here to show the transforming of a mind; the reinventing of myself as a person, and while this doesn’t show the before and after, it instead shows the between. It shows the emotion that represents the middle phase of a transformation. This show represents the parts where you have no choice but to remain confused, the parts that we often keep hidden. These pieces express vulnerability and not knowing the next step to make. This show tells a story of me, the artist, being in a dither.

Karin Colbourne, Dithery, Inexplicable, and Flurry, 2021, 60 x 53 inches, Three-block linoleum print, quilted

Karin Colbourne, Perplexed, Dithery, Confused, and Flurry, 2021, 58 x 56 inches, Four block linoleum print, quilted

I’ve always been a person who loves two things blankets and family. In these quilted pieces, I’ve chosen to combine the theme of home and comfort and to show the battle between confusion and anxiety. In addition to those emotions accumulating, as an artist, I often like to add themes that hint at the part my family has played in my life. In this piece, not only was the final product something to remind me of home, but the process of making the quilt was nostalgic. Sewing holds a special place in my heart because as a seamstress, my grandmother was the first person to introduce me to sewing. As a housing warming gift when my parents moved from New York to Georgia, she had gifted me a quilt, so I personally associated quilting as intimate and familial.

Selection from “Culmination of Confusions” Series

As a person, I’m constantly in my head, always thinking of my past actions, planning future conversations, that haven’t even happened, or even reminiscing and thinking of what could’ve been. Even though I am a person whose mind is never at rest, one of the things I never like to think about is my emotions. What started in the isolation period in quarantine turned into a reevaluation of who I am as a person, all this circling around my religious and spiritual identity, dealing with loss, and grieving the ends of friendships. There have been several times in those moments of reflection that I question how much I’ve changed, and if the person staring back at me in the mirror is the same person who was staring back at me months ago, or even a week ago. All of these swirling thoughts lead me to Culmination of Confusion. These pieces are an embodiment of my vulnerability, my change, and all my confusion, as I’ve taken to pouring all of my emotions into these distorted self-portraits as a way of confronting what I’m feeling. Outwardly, I look the same, even though inwardly my thoughts, beliefs, and views on the world are constantly shifting as represented in these paintings.

In this series of intaglio etchings, I played with patterning as a means of representing the constant day-to-day state of confusion. The question is unending, relentless, persistent. It’s a hindrance that no matter how hard I try to shake it off, the questioning stays.