All pieces in Gallery 2 have been sold.
Forest Totum
Bo Dangles
Heart of Promise
He Said, She Said 19”x 23”
Our relationships are sometimes like walking a tight rope, they take lots of practice to get them right. The colors in this wall piece are fresh and soothing surrounding two clowns who may have had a slight difference of opinion. "He Said,She Said" reveals the inner clown in each of us, which may be a hard act to follow.
Inspiring Alice 12"x 16"
Inspiration is an experience. It can be an instant emotional connection between our ordinary selves and our searching for insight and understanding. It comes instinctively with our curiosity and astonishment of nature, beauty and the human spirit. Inspiration comes on a passing breeze, the laugh of a friend or in a dream so real you can reach out and touch it.
Making Peace 14"x 14"
Bearing a new generation is in essence a “do over”. An opportunity to repeat old dogmas and outdated thinking or a precious gift to advance new discoveries and build on essential ideas of trust, love and peace. Our very existence depends on the forward thinking of each new generation.
Abacus 50" x 20" x 5"
For some of us, sitting in the counting house of life experience, counting, counting and counting, the thought repeats itself over and over. Will I ever be good enough? We may always struggle to be better in our jobs, our relationships, our health or our ability for compassion and understanding. But, to be able to accept the value in others we must first recognize and celebrate our own beautiful complexity and unique perfection.
Yes.... I am good enough and so are you.
Finding Center 36" x 36"
Finding center......that place of peace and grounding, the authentic reservoir from which we draw our essence.
Roll of the Dice 5' x 3'
A roll of the dice determines our DNA sequence and its ability to frame the totality of our physical presentation and our individual essence. Three sisters perspectives of the world influenced by the puzzle that was assembled with just one roll of the dice.
Facetime
Olive Dahlia
On Stage
Mandala # 3 Beauty 18"x 18"
Mantra: I am loved.
Beauty is the gift of nature. It feeds the soul and inspires us with awe and wonder.
Mandala # 4 Spirit
Mantra: I am worthy.
Spirit is our personal journey of discovery. Knowing that we are worthy of joy and happiness.
The Guardian 41"x 17"
This fierce guardian is ready to give her all to protect and defend. I’m glad she is on my side.
Questions and Answers 17"x 24"
Some stories or ideas begin with a question? The question or statement is made and then the story unfolds as conversation begins, other questions are added and discussion wanders up and down over hills and valleys ending as a mystery or not at all.
The query posed from this sculpture is.....How can we expect to get answers if we are not willing to ask the questions?
Mind Voyage 26" x 16"
Where does the mind travel? In the intimate moments of self-reflection, contemplation or even the expanse of meditation. Is the voyage to intercept creative waves that wash over our thoughts or are we trying to escape the exhaustive dizziness in the depths of negative repetition. We do have a choice, but it does not come just sailing along, we have to chart our own purposeful course to reach that illusive destination.
Trippin' in Spain 6'x3'
Being a believer is neither required or necessary for spiritual experience to elevate the mind and target the strongest of our human emotions. The religious iconography of Europe is so vast in its expanse and deeply embedded in its art, history and culture one may liken it to biting into a truffle too rich to eat all at once. Barcelona Spain a gem among many, offers the dripping magnificence of Gaudi's Sagrada Familia to the casual elegance of Montserrat and its ancient mountain monastery. Visceral encounters so moving, the heart might skip a beat and the mind may convert.
Silver Lining 29"x 25"
Calamity has been a constant companion to the human condition since the genesis of mankind. Our desire to make sense of our experiences leaves an opening for the idea of a “silver lining” in the face of hardship and even death. Throughout the ages we have survived by our optimistic search for the sliver of hope, wherever hidden, and no matter how illusive.
If I Were Queen
Privilege is a tricky subject. Is it the talent you were born with or the money you inherited? Some of us just got lucky genes or were in the right place at the right time, or were born into the favored gender, color or social status or plopped down in a country brimming with opportunity for all...... or not. We don't get to choose our beginnings for good or bad and that realization alone should stun us with a good dose of humility and compassion for our fellow humans.
Mandala # 1 Sky 18" x 18"
Marching Still 28"x 24"
The inspiration for “ Marching Still” was taken from the poem “Bread and Roses” written by James Oppenheimer circa 1911
As we come marching, marching in the beauty of the day,
A million darkened kitchens, a thousand mill lofts gray,
Are touched with all the radiance that a sudden sun discloses,
For the people hear us singing: "Bread and roses! Bread and roses!"
As we come marching, marching, we battle too for men,
For they are women's children, and we mother them again.
Our lives shall not be sweated from birth until life closes;
Hearts starve as well as bodies; give us bread, but give us roses!
As we come marching, marching, unnumbered women dead
Go crying through our singing their ancient cry for bread.
Small art and love and beauty their drudging spirits knew.
Yes, it is bread we fight for -- but we fight for roses, too!
As we come marching, marching, we bring the greater days.
The rising of the women means the rising of the race.
No more the drudge and idler -- ten that toil where one reposes,
But a sharing of life's glories: Bread and roses! Bread and roses!
Epiphany
Epiphany appears when least expected and plays a different tune.
Mov'in on....
The idea that at some point in our lives we have to move on from the baggage that we keep dragging around with us was the inspiration for “Mov'in on...”Old ways of viewing the world, old relationships that are no longer healthy to our present and future happiness. It takes strength, courage and conviction to move on with the confidence to take ownership of our own lives. Fly free to see and to be…
Holding It Together
Under the weight of our responsibilities, the complexities of our relationships and the search for purpose in a world spinning out of control it is all we can do to hold ourselves together. Can you die of a broken heart? Can you recover from shattered trust. Can you be consumed by grief and pain? Reaching deep inside we find out what we are really made of. There are parts of ourselves that we are sure to lose if we give in without a fight. Our strength is our ability to sew and hammer and bind, to glue and nail each piece of ourselves together, until the strength of our parts makes us whole again. Holding it together is our challenge, emerging with hope is our goal. We are survivors.
Curtain Call 2' x 2.5
Eye On The Prize
Thoughts and ideas change throughout our lives. Beliefs and loyalties can even take unrecognizable shapes. Keeping our eye on the prize of our authentic self we can be grounded in personal truth.
Que Sera Sera
Que Sera, Sera, whatever will be will be. Or will it? We can depend on the direction of the wind,a saying on a fortune cookie or the prediction of our astrological sign to determine our future or we can make the hard choices to secure our own deserved destiny.
Moxie 15"x 28"
Moxie's audacious demand for personal freedom and self expression is affirmed by her typed message to the reader. "Out she goes, away from husband, chores and children: the renegade mommy looking for her own life. She may become the most exciting woman around. The Loveable Woman (Life mag. circa1971)
Lost Treasure 2.5'x 5.5'
Innocent children are lost every day to hunger, disease, natural disaster, war, ignorance, and violence; their misfortune, being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Empty shoes are left as souvenirs of their existence. Like the fleeting butterfly that graces our garden momentarily, budding personalities and inquisitive minds are gone in an instant.
The sting of a lost child, any child, touches us all. Our hearts are broken and our aching arms and deepest emotions embrace the families and communities that are left with inconsolable grief.
This mixed media wall sculpture does not only acknowledge the harshness of this reality but, it is a celebration of the sweetness of a child's song , the soft touch of a butterfly kiss and the spontaneity and magic of a warm summer nights gaze at the stars, that were so briefly ours to remember and treasure forever.
Off The Deep End 36"x 54"
Life is a journey and sometimes we find ourselves on a path that we did not even know existed. A paradigm shift of gigantic proportions happens when we least expect it, shattering expectations we have nurtured from childhood, taking with it the hopes and dreams of others. How do we find our way in this new and undiscovered world that we have no choice but to enter, with courage, hope and a sense of wonder, trusting our own hearts to take care of our souls.
Being true to oneself is one of life’s greatest accomplishments, with rewards that parallel the most beautiful colors, the greatest adventures and the deepest questions. That world awaits us, with its danger, its uncertainty, its beauty and endless opportunity. The query is, do we take the leap, do we step into the unknown, do we trust ourselves?
Glorious Struggle 19"x 46"
One year we had four babies born into our family. All four births were completely different but with the same miraculous conclusion… four beautiful, healthy babies, and four mothers who had reached into the deepest well of physical pain and mental courage to experience natures most “Glorious Struggle”.
I was honored to have been asked to participate in two of these special events. There was no doubt in my mind whether these children would be beautiful or would be loved but, whether they along with their mothers, would survive nature’s passage to life. Would all of the laws of the universe, the millions of years of the evolutionary process, and all the natural urges of a woman’s body converge together in seamless harmony to produce once again a perfect human being capable of unimaginable greatness.
I think it was easier when I was doing the pushing. How do you describe what is coming next when you know that all the months of preparation will seem foggy and shallow once the end begins. Look into my eyes, stay with me, breath again and again. “Hard work” does not come close to describe nor does “be brave” help to relieve the look of panic or the grasp of exhaustion that momentarily engulfs us both.
After new mother and baby are safe, I begin to reflect. Is it possible to visually represent what I had so profoundly felt.
The colors that I was seeing were not pastels of pink, blue, yellow and green. I could see gold and black contrasting the fragile line between life and death. Deep, rich, reds, purples, and blues were what I remembered while each peak of barbed wire pain was reached and the jaws of the beast were held at bay while slowly and deliberately the crown was presented. I could envision the essence of a woman’s face confident, and determined yet serene and majestic. The child under glass hidden from the world awakens as her cries pierce the air and life’s breath fills his lungs.
Lotus blossom, bloom full, and sweet, add a blessing of health and good fortune. Tree of life, accept and celebrate with us these new footprints carrying the precious seeds to begin the new circle of life through natures most “Glorious Struggle
The Eyes Have It 23"x 38"
There are some ideas that just won’t go away! Like bees buzzing around your head you can ignore them and keep getting stung or you can give them the respect they deserve before you attempt to move forward.
Eyes, eyes, eyes! Eyes have been blinking around everywhere in my thoughts. “The Eyes Have It! “They really do! We can see myriads of beautiful colors, the majesty of the tallest mountains, the intricacy of a snowflake, even the mystery behind the eyes of the Harlequin mask.
Each pair of eyes sees the world, themselves and others from their own unique perspective. Is this narrow panoramic view the right one, the best one or the only one? Look…. Open your eyes… see for yourself. The possibility of seeing, farther, brighter, and more complete may be possible if we collectively share our vision. Seeing isn’t always believing, but it’s a start.
Enlightenment 21"x 48"
The ideas that started to emerge during the late 1600’s influenced by the prominent Dutch philosopher Baruch Spinoza would lead to the beginning of an awakening referred to as the Great Enlightenment. Critical thinkers like Spinoza along with one of the most brilliant scientists in our history’s past Sir Isaac Newton would pave the way for the 18th century enlightenment period. Contributing great minds through the centuries like Thomas Jefferson helped spring us into our modern world of incredible technology and never ending sources of information.
There is a lot of symbolism in this assemblage piece from the colors chosen to represent the importance of tradition, belief and history to the battery charger which suggests mans brain being tuned in to and turned on by critical thinking. In my rummaging through a second hand store I discovered an old dictionary and I incorporated the definitions for mathematics, science, philosophy literature, Art and music which were vastly affected by this period of enlightenment.
The “Age of reason” was also a term to describe the result of those changing times. Like an exquisite butterfly that emerges from the dull and suffocating confines of the cocoon, ideas about the importance of the individual, the validity of opinion and dissent, and the necessity of discovery through science were released, finding their way into the everyday condition of man and most importantly into the never ending struggles of women and children. From the top of “Enlightenment” you can see the face of a woman waiting anxiously, knowing that her self awareness, may have been the greatest seed planted in the rich and fertile bed of discovery cultivated by this great awakening.