Most of the animal forms, domestic and wild, are life-sized and are constructed from handmade quilts. They are familiar to anyone, yet they have their own intimate history, as they are constructed from worn family fabrics that are repurposed by loving hands. These fabrics are again repurposed into what I call ”containers for the spirit”. The forms show evidence of the life and life events such as the wounds and the mending, the adorning with paint, beads and flowers and then sometimes negating this embellishment with coats of paint. The forms are left empty. As I can best express it, this body of work is about holding on to things that are evolving, and eventually passing, by freezing them in time. Rich and varied textures such as tidal pools and the tiny ecosystem found in bogs are inspirations for some of the surfaces.
Handmade quilts are passed down to family members often as the maker fades away, wild animals and the places they come from can become extinct and pets eventually leave us. These objects are also about joy as they aim to be beautiful and playful and contain a sense of celebration of the moment.
Handmade quilts are passed down to family members often as the maker fades away, wild animals and the places they come from can become extinct and pets eventually leave us. These objects are also about joy as they aim to be beautiful and playful and contain a sense of celebration of the moment.
"Wilded", Art Fields, Jones Carter Gallery, Lake City, SC, May 2019
Detail of Installation, "Beyond Gone", at the Gadsden Art Center, Quincy FL , January 2020
Arrangement of Mixed Media featuring "Staying or Going" double cat sculpture, hair shoes and a hamster mask of Barney Fife at The Gadsden Art Center, 2020
Arrangement of Mixed Media sculptures featuring three "Sensory Management Hoods or Falconry Hoods for Humans", fabric work, feathers and beads. 2020
Bees and Me, Paper mache, paper clay, wax, paint, fish scale wings and gold leaf, 2017
"Wilder", fabrics from dyed studio clothes, paper mache, antique lace and paint", 2019
"Dreamy Swim Suit for Kitty or Liberace Suit" fabric, fish scales, sequins and beading. 2020
“Double Dog Blues” fabric, paper mache, cotton stuffing, 2016
"Hollow Dogs" Mixed Media 2007
"Sometimes East is West", dyed fabric, beads and bee's wax". 2015
"Buzzard on a Bear's Head", screening, paper, paint and glass painted eyes. September 2014
"Pink Stag" antlers, handmade quilt, beads and other collected textiles", 2010
"Image of exhibition at the Barbara Archer Gallery, "Memory Glow" is in the foreground, a life sized Grizzly. 2013
"Identities for my Late cat, Toby", Nick Cave, Patti Smith, Charles Bukowski and Eudora Welty.
“We Are What We Endanger”, It seems that as humans evolve, we are becoming more separated from the natural world. I am making forms that force the human and animal in the same space; the same identity. Florida Back Bear identity is my playful yet poignant way of bridging the separation.
The form is meant to be a combination of a tangible messenger from a fairytale and an invitation to a sacrament not unlike ancient rituals where a human assumes the spirit of the animal by wearing its skin. Here the viewer is invited to complicate entering the body of the Bear, inhabiting its spirit, its power and its plight.
"Understanding Fear By Wearing it or Demon Outfits for the Whole Family" is a series of sculptures made of fabric, beads, paint, cardboard and other materials. They are theatrical outfits for my husband Bruce, me, our cat, our two amazon parrots and our pet hamster. 2006
"Bear Mask with Bird Watching Mask or a Cat Attached to the Nose", paper mache, feathers and beads".
"Always with me", Fabric and thread. 2015
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"Black Bear Mask with Bird Watching Mask for a Cat Attached", paper, feathers, beads and paint. April 2014
" Home Bones", Deer skull and antlers, paper clay bricks and copper foil. April 2014
"All Together", beads, pearls, fabric, hair, resin and paint. 2015
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"The Past is Not Past", dyed quilted fabric, cotton fabric, beads and paint. 2015
"Staying or Going", fabric paint and beads, etc 2017
Glitter dog, dyed found quilt, beads, paint and clay teeth, 2015
Sometimes Up is Down, Fabric,
Fiber- fill, Glass eyes and gold paint, 2017
"One Heart", fabric, painted glass eyes and fiber-fill. 2017
Left to Right,
Barney Fife, Joseph Campbell, Lassie and Ricky from Trailer Park Boys
