ARTIST STATEMENT: In my sculptures, reference to the human body, the use of everyday objects, fine craftsmanship, and the dynamism of elements that literally reach out to the viewer are paramount. The recent sculptures, until the past year or so, explored the dynamics of relationships, of intimacy. "The Conversation" and "The Lovers" show two "figures" in this dynamic, whereas "Mouth Wide Open," as a single figure/object, implicates the viewer in the pas de deux. These scenarios take form in mixed-media sculptures that have watering can bases and/or watering can remnants, stand-ins for the human body and skin, respectively.
A wall sculpture sans watering can, "Reveal (Taking Stock 1)," the most recent sculpture, is a departure from the earlier pieces and indicative of the direction of my forthcoming 3D work. I decided about two years ago to start incorporating all the materials I have left over from other pieces into new work. "Reveal," for example, includes almost all the beads, buttons, and sew-ons from my stockpile, as well as leftover fabric, and “taking stock†in the title references this approach.
This self-imposed directive came to be for two reasons: a milestone birthday and the accompanying reflections and my day-to-day life as an avid recycler, composter, and upcycler. With these practices in mind, I thought, why let all these beautiful materials lay fallow in my closet? Moving forward, I will use my stockpile to make visually complex and engaging sculptures.
In addition to sculpture, I make collages, the focus of my output the past few years. They employ a lexicon of images and often vintage materials, where hand sewing and collage are the dominant modes of construction. In "Golden Flow," the crotch form, watch faces cut out of magazines, and gold metallic thread coalesce to address issues of aging and in particular women’s biological clocks. Works from the "Fifty" series are about time passing: a new phase beginning and one ending; sadness and loss versus hope and expectation. In the series, which will number 50 when complete, I am revisiting ideas that have long interested me, working with ones I haven’t had time to focus on, and developing new ideas. The drawings incorporate motifs that have been part of my oeuvre for years (hands, tears, crotch), and new ones: hourglass and watch faces, with the hourglass particularly potent because when the "sand" is in the top of the hourglass, it’s full of potential, whereas, when it’s in the bottom, it’s as if time has run out.
Burst 4 (Taking Stock 2) 2016 Watering can scraps, steel, velvet flowers, silicone sealant, and mixed media 28 x 13 x 26 inches
Scalloped Jewelled Wreath 2018 Metallic and cotton thread, metal sequins, rhinestones, and collage on paper 36 7/8 x 38 1/4 inches
Detail: Scalloped Jewelled Wreath 2018 Metallic and cotton thread, metal sequins, rhinestones, and collage on paper 36 7/8 x 38 1/4 inches
Coming Undone 2018 Metal sequins, metallic thread, pencil, and collage on paper 38 ½ x 38 ¾ inches
Detail: Coming Undone 2018 Metal sequins, metallic thread, pencil, and collage on paper 38 ½ x 38 ¾ inches
Golden 2018 Gold cord, thread, pencil, and collage on paper 35 ½ x 43 inches
Detail: Golden 2018 Gold cord, thread, pencil, and collage on paper 35 ½ x 43 inches
Double Jewelled Wreath 2017 Metallic and cotton thread, rhinestones, and collage on paper 35 x 42 ⅞ inches
Detail: Double Jewelled Wreath 2017 Metallic and cotton thread, rhinestones, and collage on paper 35 x 42 7/8 inches
Reveal (Taking Stock 1) 2013 Fabric, thread, sew-ons, buttons, beads, steel, batting, buckram, and snaps 27 x 29 x 24 inches
Detail: Reveal (Taking Stock 1) 2013 Fabric, thread, sew-ons, buttons, beads, steel, batting, buckram, and snaps 27 x 29 x 34 inches
Double Jewelled Bouquet 2016 Sew-ons, beads, rhinestones, thread, and collage on paper 22 x 26 1/2 inches "Double Jewelled Bouquet" is comprised of magazine cutouts of jewelry in the shape of flowers, a classic motif. To the "bouquet" is sewn vintage sew-ons and rhinestones and contemp
Detail: Double Jewelled Bouquet 2016 Sew-ons, beads, rhinestones, thread, and collage on paper 22 x 26 1/2 inches This detail of "Double Jewelled Bouquet" shows the three different types of sew-ons and beads used. Clusters, groupings, and abundance have appeared in both my 2-D and 3-D works, and I'
Double Spray 2016 Collage and pencil on paepr 38 5/8 x 80 3/8 inches
Detail: Double Spray 2016 Collage and pencil on paepr 38 â… x 80 â…œ inches
The Conversation 2009 Watering cans, fabric, thread, buckram, interfacing, batting, glue, steel, and hardware "The Conversation" shows two "figures" in dialogue, and is the first piece I made in this body of work. The periscope-like forms that extend from the watering can bases simultaneou
Mouth Wide Open 2009 Watering can, fabric, thread, interfacing, glue, steel, and hardware In "Mouth Wide Open," the action is outward, like a scream, and the form of the mouth resembles a gramophone horn. I chose a multicolored fabric for the interior, which I also pleated to add
Mouth Wide Open 2009 Watering can, fabric, thread, interfacing, glue, steel, and hardware When you are standing in front of "Mouth Wide Open," you are enveloped by the open form of the "gramophone horn." And you can see into the interior of the watering can itself and n
Detail: Mouth Wide Open 2009 Watering can, fabric, thread, interfacing, glue, steel, and hardware This detail shows the raw silk fabric on the interior of the "horn," which I pleated to give it more texture.
The Listener 2010 Watering can, pieces of watering cans, fabric, thread, steel, wire, wire mesh, buckram, epoxy, silicone sealant, and hardware In "The Listener" the action suggested is "taking things in" -- reception and synthesis -- as the title suggests. The pattern in the fabric is like sound waves, pulling in from the
Detail: The Listener 2010 Watering can, pieces of watering cans, fabric, thread, steel, wire, wire mesh, buckram, epoxy, silicone sealant, and hardware This detail not only shows the fabric close up, but it also shows the silicone sealant, which mimics a weld (you can't heat or weld watering cans because they are galvanized and heating galvanize
The Lovers 2010 Watering can pieces and roses, silicone sealant, epoxy, wire mesh, buckram, and steel "The Lovers" shows two "figures" in a swirling embrace, with the "heads" made of two watering can roses.
Detail: The Lovers 2010 Watering can pieces and roses, silicone sealant, epoxy, wire mesh, buckram, and steel With a steel armature underneath, the skin of this piece is made of watering can scraps. Silver silicone sealant is used like Spackle to fill in the space where the different pieces come together.
Splash 2010 Watering can, steel, fabric, and hardware In "Splash," three "waves" of water flow out of the watering can. The forms are like the one used in "Mouth Wide Open," but the ethereal metallic blue fabric gives the wo
Detail: Splash 2010 Watering can, steel, fabric, and hardware Here you can see the wonderful character and color of the fabric, in particular its flowing, waterlike texture. The choice of fabric is very important and considered in all my work that uses it, and I
The Group (or the Family or the Gallery Goers) 2010 Watering cans, metal duct, duct clamps, and silicone sealant "The Group" expands upon "The Conversation" by increasing the number of "figures" from 2 to 7, and it uses ready-made materials. "Gallery Goers" is part of the
Golden Flow 2014 Metallic thread and collage on paper 24 x 17 inches
Detail: Golden Flow 2014 Metallic thread and collage on paper 24 x 17 inches This detail shows the painstaking sewing method used to create the image.
Fifty (6) 2012 Collage on paper
Fifty (7) 2012 Collage, rhinstones and thread on paper In this iconic image, hand, watch face, and hourglass conflate. I like the dimensionality of the watch face against the silhouetted hand and the hourglass outline overlay made from gold rhinestones se
Fifty (8) 2012 Collage, gold cord and rhinestones on paper
Fifty (13) 2013 Silver cord, thread, and collage on paper 8 x 10 inches
Fifty (16) 2013 Collage on paper 10 x 8 inches
Fifty (17) 2013 Tear-shaped sew-ons, thread, and collage on paper 10 x 8 inches
Fifty (18) 2013 Rhinestones, thread, and collage on paper 10 x 8 inches This piece incorporates an hourglass, but it's essentially the "jewel" atop a ring. The hourglass silhouette is made from rhinestones, which have been sewn to the paper, and the interio
Fifty (20) 2016 Found bead-and-wire element, thread, and collage on paper 10 x 8 inches
Fifty (21) 2016 Collage, silver cord, and thread on paper 8 ¼ x 10 ⅛ inches
Fifty (22) 2016 Collage on paper 8 x 10 inches
Fifty (23) 2016 Collage on paper 10 x 8 inches
Fifty (24) 2016 Gold cord, beads, ribbon, sequins, thread, gold ink, and collage on paper 10 x 8 inches
Fifty (25) 2017 Collage, metallic thread, pencil, and acrylic paint on paper 8 x 10 inches
Fifty (28) 2018 Metallic thread and collage on paper 10 x 8 inches
Fifty (27) 2018 Metallic and cotton thread, rhinestones, and collage on paper 10 x 8 inches
Fifty (26) 2018 Vintage watch faces, rhinestones, thread, pencil, and collage on paper 10 x 8 inches
Tilted Flag 2017 Collage on paper 4 x 6 inches This collage was made for the "Give Voice" postcard project organized by Eileen Jeng of Neumeraki (https://neumeraki.com/give-voice/).