Arch Ways of Support

For the month of June, Hank & Dolly’s Gallery will be exhibiting Crystal Vicars’ collages and paintings. 

Arch Ways of Support is a deeply personal body of work for Vicars, whose art-making practice has been a way for her to process her grief over the past year. In the spring of 2023, Vicars lost both of her parents in the same week. During this period of time, as she made art, she intuitively incorporated symbols into her work that represented her navigating grief. 

One of the primary symbols that revealed itself to Vicars was an arch. This shape became representative of Vicars passing through grief and arriving at a new place on the other side. Support is a theme that Vicars explores through the arch symbol along with boats and anchors. 

“It's been the hardest year of my life,” Says Vicars. “I’ve been trying to find the support that I need. When you lose your two people that made you, there is this feeling of being on a boat, but you have no anchor because your support system is gone, and you spent your whole life building a new one.” Alongside these symbols, Vicars is inspired by the ephemeral characteristics of nature and life. Vicars always tries to create with intention while still allowing the process of creating to allow room for exploration without forcing a particular result. Vicars sees Arch Ways of Support as very spiritual work and being connected to things she can’t explain. 

Vicars enjoys collage and working with nontraditional materials. “I love taking something apart and putting it back together again. Sometimes we fall apart and put ourselves back together again. This is what we are doing all of our lives.”

The show can be viewed anytime in Hank & Dolly's Gallery through the month of June during Gallery Hours: Monday – Friday from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. The works can additionally be viewed and purchased on our online gallery.