Sarah Blanchette
you’re more graceful than that, 2023
Digital thermal print scans printed on velvet, cotton thread, vinyl, batting. 87” x 75” x 2”
My hand and my paternal grandmother’s hand; image of her from grade school; text from the back of a photograph of her holding me at 4 hours old; a scribbled note from a night in hospice; small display of sequins and pearls collected by her late sister.
Sarah Blanchette
After all these years who is that staring back at me?, 2023
Digital thermal print scans printed on velvet, cotton thread, vinyl, batting. 63” x 105” x 2”
Title Origin: A distorted quote from a family member’s social media account. Image Origins: Hunting photographs from the color slide film archive of my grandfather-in-law, Ted; cellphone image of my hand.
Sarah Blanchette
my mirror lives again every night so I keep it, 2022
Digital thermal print scans printed on velvet, cotton thread, vinyl, batting. Handsewn. 56.5” x 38” x 2”
Title Origin: Taken from a recording I made with my paternal grandmother, Carol, 4 days before her passing. She was nearing incoherency and spoke of her time in school as a little girl. Image Origins: Cellphone photos of the orchid I gifted my paternal grandmother, Carol, during hospice; the last pop cans in her fridge before we sold her condo after she passed; her clothing; a sweet duck that made specific eye contact with me during a trip in her honor; my hand that held hers when she took her last breath.
Sarah Blanchette
I’m the lucky one, 2023
Digital thermal print scans printed on velvet, cotton thread, vinyl, batting. 34” x 34” x1”
Title Origin: A recently discovered note left for me by my paternal grandmother, Carol, on the back of a thank you card I sent her after my high school graduation. Image Origins: Film photograph from my paternal grandmother’s second wedding to my grandpa, Bill McDannel, standing with her sister Joann and their brother Tom; golden birds she had on display in her home that I now have in my own; cellphone photo of my hand.
Sarah Blanchette
Have they acquired immunity?, 2023
Digital thermal print scans printed on velvet, cotton thread, vinyl, batting. Handsewn. 77” x 81” x 2”
Title Origin: A direct quote from a family member’s social media account. Image Origins: A portrait of my grandfather-in-law’s father holding fish heads from a fishing trip captured on color slide film; repeated image of their fishing boat from the same year; cellphone photo of my eye.
Sarah Blanchette
Nice Rack, 2020
Digital images printed on velvet, foam, plywood, thread, cotton floss, galvanized piping, fiberfill, batting, machine and handsewn 54”x42”x24”
I am constantly fascinated by the comparison made by men and their perceived ‘trophies’.
Sarah Blanchette
You speak so well now., 2020
Digital image printed on velvet, thread, felt 𝟺𝟻.𝟻“𝚡𝟺𝟸“𝚡.𝟸𝟻”
A collaboration with my late grandfather. Her tears are comprised of an old film photograph of a hunting trip he took in the 70’s. ‘You speak so well now’ was said to me by a former colleague after listening to me give a talk about my work. This piece was in process while I was giving this talk and was unnamed at the time. His backhanded compliment was the perfect title for this piece.
Sarah Blanchette
You look like you lost weight! Ladies love hearing that., 2019
Digital image printed on crushed velour, thread, felt 51”x28.5”x.25”
English Paper Piecing is one of the oldest forms of hand quilting. It is the base for the famed grandmother quilt made of hexagon flowers. It is also a huge source of community for women as they sit in groups to work on their EPP projects and trade fabric hexagons with one another. The process is also physically draining and time consuming, which is why it is often not a solitary practice. I found that stripping the community from such rigorous processes allowed me to push my body and attention span. ‘You look like you lost weight! Ladies love hearing that.’ was said to me by my former tax guy. He said the first half of the statement to me and the second to my husband.
Sarah Blanchette
Cool. But do you have a nice body?, 2017
Digital Self Portrait and Wood Paneling Images printed on coated fabric. Size shown: 7'x13'x1’ Full size (not shown): 7'x17'x1’
Developing as a teen girl on the internet sets the stage for damaging interactions. Hidden under the veil of anonymous texting apps and social media platforms, the opportunity for unwanted exposure to predatory figures is inevitable. As teen girls seek positive reinforcement to soothe growing self-perception, communication with men can bring up deep seated misconceptions about womanhood. As the fragmented woman develops, she discovers that the plasticity of girlhood was not made to be stretched this far. Property of the Julia Reyes Taubman and Robert Taubman Estate.
Sarah Blanchette
You tell me or show me, 2018
Digital Image Printed on silk, thread, cotton fabric, galvanized piping 36"×115"x7"
The undulating, empty sack hung from basement piping is a visual representation of the mental and emotional process I go through when processing the features of my body.
