Harita
Patel
If erasure is a tool of the oppressor — used to silence, obscure, or rewrite truth — then remembrance is the tool of the revolutionary.
When erasure conceals, the revolutionary reveals.
If erasure deletes, the revolutionary inscribes.
If erasure fractures, the revolutionary remembers — and re-members — the whole.
The lotus grows in muddied water, but is not tainted by them.
This work is a reflection on the tension between individuals and the works they create — how we grapple with the legacies of creators whose beliefs may deeply conflict with our own. The music paper used in this piece is a page from Sonata in Fa (1921) by Ildebrando Pizzetti (1880–1969), an Italian neo-classical composer whose music is still studied today. Pizzetti was also an open supporter of Italian fascism and a signatory of the Manifesto of the Fascist Intellectuals in 1925. Printing lotus imagery on this page serves as a metaphor for how history builds upon itself. Embroidering into it, I pierced holes in the past to create something new — not to erase, but to transform and remember.
Harita Patel's series of meditative works combine needlework techniques, printmaking, and poetry to convey the subtle but real relationships between human thought, belief, possibility, and action.
Originally shown at Edge Gallery, in Lakewood, CO
January 2024
If each thread is a thought,
then each stitch is a belief,
We create the conditions that liberate and bind us.
-'Three Lessons' by Harita Patel
Click here to read the full poem
In a time marked by rapid and often unsettling change, THRESHOLDS offers a space for reflection, encouraging us to pause, observe, and embrace the edges of transformation. This series reminds the viewer that even in moments of stillness, the seeds of growth are present, waiting to take root.
Blending relief printmaking with oil and acrylic painting, Patel dissolves the boundaries between mediums, reflecting the fluid nature of transitions. This series embodies a tension between structure and intuition, where the precision of relief printmaking meets the expressive fluidity of paint, forming a dynamic and harmonious dialogue between the two forms. These multidimensional works invite viewers to step into the frame, both physically and metaphorically
Encaustic monotype printmaking is an improvisational method of printmaking. Each print is made in quick succession, by directly melting wax-based (encaustic) pigment upon a hot plate. The artist then lays paper onto the hot plate and uses a printing baren to apply light pressure and pick up the colors applied — yielding richly colored abstract compositions. Each print is unique, and no two prints can ever be the same.
Series (click the series name to view):
Oil pastel, acrylic and graphite details on 6x8 inch paper or larger. Inspired by the novel series Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons-- this project imagines an alternate universe built with color folded in geometric abstraction where time is unstable. These paintings are among the roots of my love for abstraction and the Colourist painting movement.
The velvety texture of soft pastels on sanded paper is heightened by the vibrancy of pure pigment layered to reflect shadow and light. For me, the experience of painting with soft pastels evokes a sense of freedom akin to finger painting as a child. The connection of the artist to the medium is a part of the experience, from touching the soft pastels, visible marks of action on paper, messy hands covered in pigment, and the beauty that flows from those moments of freedom.
Multiple watercolors on large canvas (24x36 inches and larger) This series explores compassion and empathy for the Self. Encouraging the viewer to find beauty in what IS. Each piece embraces the unexpected-- inviting the viewer to see the irregularities brought about by the pigment and canvas to show. Each piece denotes a moment of artistic development and maturation of the artist's work. Based on compositions arising from meditation-- this series presents harmonious compositions in pure watercolor-- these works invite the viewer to consider that they are perfectly imperfect as the subjects and nature of the paintings. The imperfection they are, is inherently completely perfect.
In 2019 I began a journey into printmaking as a member of the Red Delicious Press co-op in Aurora, CO. Since then, I've met a supportive and meaningful community of artists to learn from. This leap into printmaking has helped me delve further into my artistic vision. When I extend myself beyond my comfort zones, I thrive in the discomfort of the unknown. This discomfort is fear, which I face and dissolve-- relying only on the confidence and empathy I have for myself, to create my works.