"Wonder"

 

 

"Wonder"●

  We live in Northern California near the Pacific Coast.  When I first moved here from Texas, I remember a feeling of facination with the force and movement of the ocean. Today the same facination exists. I love going to Bodega Bay after a storm, where invariably I find amazing pieces of drift

  The 'Wonder' begins when I see a beautifully finished piece of drift wood, plank or post. The inspiration for this piece started with a piece of driftwood shaped like an ocean wave. You can see it on top of the piece?

Is it the remains of a tree? or maybe it came from shipwreck? or is it a part of chair or a bed?

Where did it come from? How long has it been traveling? How did it survive the trip?

_ _ _ _ _ _

Mixed media assemblage using a vintage sewing machine drawer, a porcelain doll's head and vintage children's blocks. This piece is topped with a crystal drawer handle and driftwood found in Bodega Bay beach.

The back side is covered with an image taken from a book of 18th century paintings. This image depicts Christ and his angels above, in the center of the image is humanity, and of course, Satan and his friends in hell fill in the bottom. "Crackled glass' coasters fit perfectly inside the drawer frame, are placed on top of the image, giving it even more mystery.

IN PRIVATE COLLECTION 112109

The Hand-Off

"The Hand Off" 

This is a piece I made a couple of years ago, around the time of the BP oil spill in the Gulf.  I remember feeling so helpless, as CNN and all the other networks would show image after image of the devastation as the well continued to pump hundreds of thousands of gallons into the Gulf, (200,000 gallons per day) for almost 3 months before the well was capped. 

The only thing I could think of was "what a mess we had created" for ourselves and for the generations to come.  And it was not just the oil spill, there were so many world issues, many of which are still with us today:  the global economy, the wars in the middle east, climate change, and on and on and on . . .

This piece was  made to express what I was feeling at the time, and what I was hoping.  We are handing the next generation a 'messy world', my hope is that the next generation will learn from our big screw-ups, somehow be better able to care for our planet, in doing so, they will be able to take better care of themselves.

I was pleased with the way the turkey claw looks so ancient and the small hands reaching from below so young and pure, and full of hope.

Mixed media assemblage containing turkey claw, ceramic doll hands, wooden fish, dice and vintage papers. (11710)

Fun and Funky Necklace . . .

"Fun and Funky"●
A couple of months ago, I went to visit a dear friend in Seattle, and in one of the trendy downtown shops, we saw a necklace that she fell in love with . . . "I can make one just like that, I have all the 'stuff' "   I said . . .  what was I thinkin'? Just so we are clear, I 'do not make jewelry', but this was really fun, and it turned out great! (click on any image to enlarge)

I found a great silver-chain belt, and I started attaching 'stuff ': chandelier crystals, a sliver cross I bought in South Africa, a sewing machine bobbin (with thread), keys, a keyhole, a vintage optical lens and tiny silver charms from a bracelet.

I put it in the mail today - she should be getting it soon. . . .




(this is a photo of the one we was in Seattle. It is made up mostly chandelier crystals - it's lovely.)

"The Details of Life"

 

"The Details of Life" ●

Rock me.  This piece pulls the viewer in to see the details, in doing so, the viewer sees himself. . . . 

A 4" wooden picture frame became the base for this wall-hung mirror assemblage. Attached to the wooden frame are various and sundry found objects of any person's life. A license plate, a typewriter eraser, a tag from the Del Prado Museum coat room, dominoes, plastic scissors, vintage clock parts, guitar tuning pegs, fishing line, a red plastic monkey and of course "bling". On top is a vintage, silver metal drawer pull for easy carrying.

Lot's to see, to take a closer look.  (to enlarge  click any image to enlarge)

"Marin Museum of Contemporary Art"

"Marin Museum of Contemporary Art"(MarinMOCA)
A couple of weeks ago, I posted about having an entry in the 3rd annual Book Show auction at MarinMOCA. I am delighted to be able to show you the postcard above, where my piece,  "Altered Alice" has taken her place. (upper left).

The opening reception and talk by Donna Seager, of Seager Gray Gallery in Mill Valley  will be on April 21, will; be a grand celebration of altered books and book arts. If you are in northern California, do stop in.

Opening Reception: April 21, 4-7pm

Talk by Donna Seager at 4pm 

Exhibition dates: April 21 through May 26 

I50 Bay Area artists draw inspiration from old books destined for the dump to create a wide variety of artworks for this very popular show.   

Bigger and better than ever!   

Book Works offered in Silent Auction.  All proceeds go to MarinMOCA.   

 

HAPPY NEWS:  All winning bids will be MATCHED, dollar for dollar  

through a grant from the Collins Fund.