“In 1989 I found out that I had breast cancer. When you are on chemotherapy all you want to do is to be able to control your life. I found solace and support in the Spirit Figures of the Otomí peoples. My appropriation of centralized icons, bold colours and the symmetry of their Spirit Figures was a way to appear distant from my illness while at the same time being able to weave my own story within the surface elements. I created central icons as compositional devices to be able to tell my personal story.
I cut the figures from brown paper, using my left hand to limit my control. Because of the bright colours most people saw only happy and fanciful prints. In fact, as you can see in the print “Mutations,” there is a right breast and left brain disturbance. My 2 doctors are on either side, my partner, and my mother. The arch going over my head represents the chemotherapy going through my system, the city and my studio in the country.
The prints were large format, 36 x 48 inches each. I layered texture over texture and in fact, would print up just about anything. There was so much ink on my gravure I was told I could sell my prints by the pound. I was always interested in the physicality of the “matrice” which I inked and stained after printing. Because for the most part I cut my wood with electrical tools I also cast the crux of the wood with paper slurry to create a painted relief in the prints.” Bonnie Baxter