About
ARTIST STATEMENT
Why do I love labor-intensive processes? From welding rusty tools to build a sculpture, to making a fiber sculpture by tying rope into knots, to building layers of colored wax to create an encaustic painting, to combining antique and new beads from all over the world to make jewelry – I gain satisfaction and pleasure from watching my pieces grow into a balanced work of art.
Why do I think that creativity disappears with familiarity? A string of beads comes alive when I take it apart and add other sizes, colors, and textures. I create rhythm and harmony in my jewelry to create beauty. I balance opposites in my paintings and sculptures to obtain that same harmony. I accept the challenge that comes with new ideas. Learning a new skill or technique makes me more vulnerable and open to the happy accidents that occur in my work.
Where do my symbols and patterns come from? Some of my images are real and some are imagined, such as symbols from my unconscious. I make masks to represent spiritual beings and/or ancestors involved in ceremony. Is it possible to learn the answers to questions of the future from the traditions of the past? I think this is what I am seeking in my creations.
I use travel as a way to explore other cultures visually. I seek to understand and honor the vision of others through the use of organic geometry, seeking the patterns and shapes that I use as a universal language. I am often a messenger bringing back tribal images that I hold gently in my hands, seeking to translate them into an art that spans many cultures.
Why do I make art?
I seem to have an itch to do something with my hands and the best solution seems to be to immerse myself in creating something. I haven’t outgrown this itch although many of my age group have. It is the most enjoyable time I spend, even when creation hits a roadblock. So I am usually involved in the actual making or thinking about the next step. When I stop creating, the itch comes back.
How do I do it?
Right now I am involved in the world of textile, using a needle and thread to make an image. I begin with a rough sketch and it gets refined in the actual piece when I start stitching. I have 2 series going: a goddess group which are 7″ x 5″ and whimsical birds which are 5″ x 5″. Over the many years of my life I have experimented in many media. I have been a sculptor who welded found objects, a fiber sculptor, a pastel artist, a maker of bead jewelry, and now I am creating with thread.
What my art means to me.
My goddess series is an exploration of my creative soul. Although these pieces are small, they are universal shapes. Mankind began with female figures to honor fertility. I also honor the past and imagine the future with my goddesses. Art often is concerned with present life and the many injustices that exist in it. I believe beauty belongs in each of our lives and my art pieces can have a positive influence. The whimsical bird series are a different story. They represent fun and hopefully make the viewer smile. They are total figments of imagination and enjoyable to make.
Why do I love labor-intensive processes? From welding rusty tools to build a sculpture, to making a fiber sculpture by tying rope into knots, to building layers of colored wax to create an encaustic painting, to combining antique and new beads from all over the world to make jewelry – I gain satisfaction and pleasure from watching my pieces grow into a balanced work of art.
Why do I think that creativity disappears with familiarity? A string of beads comes alive when I take it apart and add other sizes, colors, and textures. I create rhythm and harmony in my jewelry to create beauty. I balance opposites in my paintings and sculptures to obtain that same harmony. I accept the challenge that comes with new ideas. Learning a new skill or technique makes me more vulnerable and open to the happy accidents that occur in my work.
Where do my symbols and patterns come from? Some of my images are real and some are imagined, such as symbols from my unconscious. I make masks to represent spiritual beings and/or ancestors involved in ceremony. Is it possible to learn the answers to questions of the future from the traditions of the past? I think this is what I am seeking in my creations.
I use travel as a way to explore other cultures visually. I seek to understand and honor the vision of others through the use of organic geometry, seeking the patterns and shapes that I use as a universal language. I am often a messenger bringing back tribal images that I hold gently in my hands, seeking to translate them into an art that spans many cultures.
Why do I make art?
I seem to have an itch to do something with my hands and the best solution seems to be to immerse myself in creating something. I haven’t outgrown this itch although many of my age group have. It is the most enjoyable time I spend, even when creation hits a roadblock. So I am usually involved in the actual making or thinking about the next step. When I stop creating, the itch comes back.
How do I do it?
Right now I am involved in the world of textile, using a needle and thread to make an image. I begin with a rough sketch and it gets refined in the actual piece when I start stitching. I have 2 series going: a goddess group which are 7″ x 5″ and whimsical birds which are 5″ x 5″. Over the many years of my life I have experimented in many media. I have been a sculptor who welded found objects, a fiber sculptor, a pastel artist, a maker of bead jewelry, and now I am creating with thread.
What my art means to me.
My goddess series is an exploration of my creative soul. Although these pieces are small, they are universal shapes. Mankind began with female figures to honor fertility. I also honor the past and imagine the future with my goddesses. Art often is concerned with present life and the many injustices that exist in it. I believe beauty belongs in each of our lives and my art pieces can have a positive influence. The whimsical bird series are a different story. They represent fun and hopefully make the viewer smile. They are total figments of imagination and enjoyable to make.