"Through The Veil" encourages visitors at the Sarasota Art Museum to walk through the work

Artwork created for mothers showcased in Sarasota

"Through the Veil" is the largest presentation artist Lillian Blades has ever done.

SARASOTA, Fla. - Many of the pieces in Lillian Blades' exhibition "Through The Veil" take full advantage of the large gallery space at the Sarasota Art Museum. 

"I love the light coming in there, and I wanted to play with it. I just wanted to feel fully immersed within the piece, like you're moving through it, full of color. I want the color to reflect on them. I want them to be seen through it, see other people through it, just more interaction with the work instead of just in front of it on the wall. I wanted the layers of the painting to be you to be layered within the painting itself. It's like painting in space," Blades said. 

Dig deeper:

The veils are made of a mosaic of plastic squares of varying sizes, color and sometimes images. They are tied together and hung. The veils themselves vary in size and shape. Many times, they feature a gradient color pattern. 

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"Where you are determines how you will see the work. Because they're transparent, you can see all of the other works in the surrounding environment through them, and you can also see other guests and visitors walking around, and because they're reflective, you can always see yourself within them. So, you will catch fragmented reflections of yourself and of other people within this space," Sarasota Art Museum Associate Curator of Exhibitions Lacie Barbour said. 

The backstory:

Blades' mother passed away during childbirth. She was raised by her aunt. The exhibition is divided into two sections, one darker and one that uses natural light. 

"The first room, it's a darker space. It's more like a womb-like space, like being in the womb. I feel like that's my connection with my mom. That's the only connection I had with her," Blades said. "When you go into the larger space with the tower, there's a lot more color. It's like being birthed into the world."

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What they're saying:

What they're saying: The veils take on a similar feeling of quilting, a purposeful decision from the artist. 

"This, for me, is a celebration of my mom and many moms, that very nurturing motherly spirit," Blades said. "The act of putting it together is a way of looking back. It's a way of celebrating her and other mothers in the traditions, the visual traditions that I'm coming from. It's my way of continuing the tradition with what I know, the fragments of who I am coming together."

"Through The Veil" is on display until Oct. 26th.