"[There’s] the Jungian idea that there’s a personal subconscious and a collective subconscious. There are all sorts of things going on in our heads that may pop out at any time. It might be from your own subconscious or it might be from the collective subconscious. It might be some new take on an archetype, or from one’s dreams." - Edward Gorey, 1994
My career as an artist began with Covid. In 2018, I walked away from working as a nurse and 30 years in the Pacific NW and returned to family in NE Ohio, to rest and heal from widowhood and too many years of night shift. Covid struck in March 2020, a mere six months after moving into my new home. I have always been a garage sale and secondhand shopper and as I looked for items for my house and garden, I started collecting odd, intriguing items. I had plenty of studio space and by August of 2020 I had made my first assemblage. By early 2022, I had completed more than two dozen pieces.
My art explores birth and death, rites of passage, social issues, and the personal histories of myself and others. I am fascinated with the history of sewing and women's role as household domestic, especially when combined with other duties such as required for homesteading in the American West. I primarily create in wood and metal materials; old tools whose function is forgotten are a favorite starting point. Found photographs stimulate me to imagine a story behind them. Usually the components themselves
guide me as the piece evolves. Textures, colors, rhythms and shapes make suggestions.
guide me as the piece evolves. Textures, colors, rhythms and shapes make suggestions.
My hope is that the viewer will feel mystified, pulled in, and inexplicably intrigued as they free-associate with these juxtapositions of objects and attach meaning or stories to them, based on the symbology of the collective unconscious or your - including your family experiences - personal unconscious.