Pathways (SAQA Virtual Gallery)

Every day we use pathways to take us from one place to another place. They are places that our feet travel, essential but transitional spaces that take us where we want to go. Which pathways do you use and how do they make you feel? What do you think about in this transitional space? Is there a pathway that you love or one you would like to avoid? Pathways can be literal or figurative.

Rhoda Bennett is a New Zealand born textile artist now living in Luxembourg. She received degrees in Design and Applied Economics and worked as an advisor to the NZ government. This background provided a strong foundation in composition, color and critical thinking for her art practice.

Rhoda makes impressionistic art quilts inspired by the natural world. Using fabric collage, her quilts tell stories of color, texture and place. Rhoda has exhibited in international juried shows and her work is included in private collections.

I love walking on pathways, and as I walk, I find myself considering not only my surroundings but also the larger journey through life. This collection explores the ways pathways lead us through both places and experiences, and how, along the way, they refine and shape us. Each selected piece tells a story through a sense of movement—of processing change, making a choice, or simply continuing onward.  It was challenging to choose from such a strong body of submissions, but I ultimately chose to stay close to the essence of the theme and its connection to people.
From the confines of a straight path to the freedom—or confusion—of meandering routes, and to the challenge of a crossroads, pathways frequently involve choices. They can offer the promise of something beautiful or better ahead, or simply provide an opportunity to pause, turn in circles, and reflect.  Pathways allow us to remember where we have come from while reminding us that, for every path we choose, there are others left untaken. Sometimes pathways are difficult to find; at other times, tragic pathways choose us, carrying us on unplanned journeys we would rather have avoided.

I hope that, as you move through the gallery, you will contemplate the power of pathways to shape and change us—the directions we take, the experiences we encounter, and ultimately, the people we become.

Eunjoo An (South Korea) - The Path and the Stories Left Behind in the Night
Linda Anderson (Oregon, USA) - Bringing You Home
Terry Aske (British Columbia, Canada) - A Study of Pattern and Perspective
Audrey Augun (New Hampshire, USA) - Upward Flow
Samantha Boot (United Kingdom) - Path To The Oak
Jennifer Coghill (Ontario, Canada) - Labyrinth
Kimberly Connelly (Oregon, USA) - Finding One's Way
Suzette Coppage (Maryland, USA) - River Of Fire
Yael David-Cohen (United Kingdom) - Path on Yellow
Donna Deaver (Idaho, USA) - Hidden Paths
Ethelda Ellis Erasmus (Ireland) - Forty Shades of Green
Petra Fallaux (Pennsylvania, USA) - The Road
Pat Ann Forster (Australia) - Twisting Path
Diana S Fox (Colorado, USA) - Last One Standing
Birgitta Jadenfelt (Sweden) - The alley
Ann Johnston (Oregon, USA) - One Thing Leads to Another
Patty Kennedy-Zafred (Pennsylvania, USA) - Una Tradizione Di Famiglia
Roberta Lagomarsini (California, USA) - Crossroads
Zwia Lipkin (California, USA) - Walking a Thin Line
Tracie L. Maryne (British Columbia, Canada) - Follow the Path
Karen Middleton (Virginia, USA) - We Enter, We Leave, We Continue
Kathy Mullaney (California, USA) - The Other Side Of The Mountain
Jenny Perry (North Carolina, USA) - The Way Forward
Stephanie Shore (Massachusetts, USA) - Climbing Fiske Hill
Jan Soules (California, USA) - Hidden Pathways
Lee Sproull (Massachusetts, USA) - Pentimento
Kate Stiassni (Connecticut, USA) - For Every Road We Take
Paula Straw (Colorado, USA) - Sanctuary
Maggie Vanderweit (Ontario, Canada) - Mercy in This World
Sarah Williams (Oregon, USA) - Garden Path
Kathy York (Texas, USA) - No. 27
Marian Zielinski (Georgia, USA) - Seeing the Path