Tides of Memory: The Art of Theresa Passarello
Theresa Passarello's fascination with memory began serendipitously with a crossword puzzle. The clue, “a missing part,” led her to the word “lacuna.” Unfamiliar with the term, her research uncovered the concept of literary palimpsests—ancient manuscripts written on vellum, erased, and reused. "The layering of fragmented writing made me think about memory: how memories come and go with varying states of clarity, with gaps and missing parts," she explains. This idea became especially poignant when her father-in-law was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, underscoring the fragility and preciousness of memory.
Born in the Bahamas, Passarello spent her early years by the ocean, fostering a lifelong attraction to water. "I’m drawn to water imagery and love that it can be used as an abstract space," she says. This duality of memory and water forms the cornerstone of her artistic practice, allowing her to explore complex themes through a medium that is both fluid and elusive. Her artistic journey is woven with personal experiences, technical expertise, and a curiosity about the human condition, creating a nuanced dialogue that resonates deeply with viewers.
One of Passarello's most significant series is "Blank Space, Gap or Missing Part." This text-based series on Mylar marked the beginning of her artistic exploration into literary palimpsests. "I created an obscure/obscured puzzle: a refrain of stenciled words stuttered, repeated, erased against a backdrop of full and empty spaces and gaps," she describes. This interplay of presence and absence became a powerful metaphor for the fragmented nature of the mind’s landscape.
When balancing the conceptual and technical aspects of her work, Passarello adopts a flexible approach. "I try not to be too committed to my original idea of what the final painting should look like and stay present in the process," she notes. Her engineering and studio art background allows her to merge structure with creativity, resulting in meticulously crafted and intuitively expressive pieces. Artists like Carol Wainio, Peter Doig, and Betty Goodwin have significantly influenced her. “Betty Goodwin introduced me to working on Mylar, and I was drawn to her Vest series… the idea that things hold the memory of those that once used them.”
Passarello has a few rituals that help her stay present as she wades through the tides of memory in her artworks. Starting her studio practice with a brief meditation and listening to music—currently, she’s obsessed with Maggie Rogers—keeps her grounded and inspired. When facing creative blocks, Passarello turns to running, which helps her sort through challenges and find solutions.
For Theresa, community and perseverance have been essential to her artistic development. "I am someone who only gains confidence by taking small steps and putting in the work," she explains. This has included submitting to juried group exhibitions, taking professional photos of her work, developing a strong artist statement, and building a robust portfolio. She values the support of her Artist Salon, a group of fellow artists who provide fresh perspectives and constructive feedback. “Art has the capacity to connect people with others and themselves; there is a real intimacy to art, making it and viewing it.”
Looking ahead, Passarello is exploring new themes and techniques, including a series around hydrodictyon and motherhood. “Hydrodictyon, or water net, is an algae that protects smaller aquatic creatures from predators but still allows them to pass through,” she explains. She was inspired by Robin Wall Kimmerer’s comparison of hydrodictyon to mothering in her book “Braiding Sweetgrass”: “a net of living threads to lovingly encircle what it cannot possibly hold, what will eventually move through it.” As a mother of three grown children, Passarello resonates with this concept. “I’ve been tracing the holes in the well-loved crocheted baby blanket of one of my children to replicate hydrodictyon and play around with this notion,” she says.
Theresa Passarello's art is a testament to the power of memory, language, and the natural world. When asked what essential feeling she hopes to capture in her work, Passarello quotes Robert Motherwell: “What could really be more interesting or in the end more ecstatic than in those rare moments when you see another person look at something you’ve made and realize that they got it exactly, that your heart jumped to their heart, with nothing in between?”