WOODSTOCK – Arla Patch’s new book, “A Body Story,” illustrates in text and images the artist’s journey of healing from cancer and childhood abuse. Through 19 photographs, Patch explores the connection between the body, nature and, ultimately, the divine.
About five years ago, at the age of 48, Patch discovered a fibroid tumor in her uterus. The size of a baseball, the tumor altered the course of Patch’s life, and eventually led her to publish “A Body Story,” her first book.
“I began changing my life, making choices that were more respectful of myself,” Patch said. Soon, she came to see the tumor as a teacher, rather than an invader. Visualizing the tumor, she asked that it grow smaller as she began to take more responsibility for her life.
Six months later, she visualized the tumor again. This time it appeared to her no larger than a walnut. A sonogram confirmed that the tumor had shrunk.
“The tumor was my body saying wake up,'” Patch said. A lover of nature, she now had a better understanding of the body as a part of the natural world. One morning, Patch awoke to a vision of a woman made of ferns. The artist realized that she could create this vision.
Patch projected photographs of plants, fire, water and the sky onto her own body. A group of female friends helped her to photograph the resulting images. Combined with short narratives, the pictures tell the story of Patch’s changing relationships with nature, as well as with her body.
“Our bodies really are a manifestation of divinity,” the artist said during a recent interview. She hopes that the images compiled in her book will help young women move past seeing their breast size or cellulite as the sum of their bodies, and begin to take better care of themselves.
Patch has recently returned from presenting a DVD version of her book and workshops at Guilford College in North Carolina. She will teach a weeklong course at the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies in Rhinebeck, N.Y., in June 2006. There, women will be invited to create their own images of themselves, depicting their bodies as flowers, the sky, or whatever best expresses their own lives.
Many of the photos from the book will be displayed at the Fare Share Commons in Norway during the month of October. Patch will be available to sign copies of the book at the show’s opening on Oct. 7. Books can be purchased there, or through Patch’s Web site, www.arlapatch.com.
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