es with a face either emerging or blending in with a tree. I use the tree as a symbol for many things, including growth, hiding, vulnerability, strength and solidity. Here it is meant as a metaphor suggesting emergence - or shedding the exterior force that holds one back.
he "Fool" this week - guess I'm in a foolish mood! Last week, I re-viewed the Kurosawa film "Ran". There's a wonderful fool in that picture: he's always at the King's side and often makes cutting, witty remarks that warrant him needing to be quick to dodge the whacks. A loveable and yet painfully honest fellow. That's how I like to think of my own inner fool - but without the whacks.....
I thought I'd show some of my glaze tests today. I use these to test my engobes and glazes and to try out different ideas. I don't always make bigger pieces based on these, but often I get new directions from the results. These little guys are some of the latest out of the studio and I'm thinking of making this a regular Friday feature. Yes, I've got a lot in the works!
and on this mask I went a little crazy! Autumn is my favorite season with leaves falling all around in a gentle hurricane: reminding me of cycles and renewal. The leaves make me think of falling angels touching us on the way down and softening the path ahead...
This mask seems like a timely additon to my blog collection - face masks are big news right now! However, I wasn't thinking about disease prevention when I made this piece. For me, face coverings and veils suggest hiding something or protection from others. And this mask is meant to be a metaphor for vulnerability. Would that it were so simple to protect oneself!.jpg)
e to "American Beauty", done about two years after. In this mask, the rose has lost some petals....and will continue to lose them. It seems an obvious message, and yet as the rose fades there is still the opportunity to bask in the sun and enjoy its warmth till dark fall.
Since the roses in my yard are either blooming or soon to bloom, I thought it was time to bring out this tribute to roses mask from 2003. I happen to think that people and roses have a lot in common - at least metaphorically: I'm thinking specifically of the stages of growth unfolding in their own time and season. A fully open rose seems symbolic of all that is at its peak, both lovely and fragile. It seems a shame to cut them....
sing the "Hunter" as metaphor. Hunters establish a blind so as to be invisible to their prey, but this hunter is using it as a means of blending in to an uncaring world. Perhaps by keeping our true selves hidden, we will be more able to hunt the elusive enlightenment that beckons from the edge of the forest.
ght is supposed to be about having the ability to foresee the future. I've given this mask extra powers with a little help from two more sets of eyes! The background of the main face is meant to be a table cloth or other everyday kind of fabric that is so familiar, we barely notice it. This puts the focus on the windows of the soul and the magic that can be revealed behind them.
trategy a good thing? I'm not so sure about that! Seems to me that the word implies games and winning. And if it is applied to a life....what a sorry state. Of course, it's nice to feel the winner sometimes, but if life is a game then there must also be losers.
d. This is a concept that usually puts me a bit on edge. I mean, really - haven't most of us done things we're not proud of? It is those "things" that inspired this mask. I spend a lot of time thinking about the best way to get an idea across using the face as a medium. Of course, some of these portrayals are more successful than others and this mask is, perhaps, a little on the obscure side. Without the title, the viewer might just be clueless!
on this piece I was contemplating growth and beginnings. I've used the tree as metaphor so many times now that it has become an essential part of my artistic vocabulary. Originally I had intended to have only the driftwood pieces as arms....but after attaching them, I felt that something more was needed. Thank goodness for putty epoxy! I was able to sculpt the small hands and blend them into the arms - Voila!
e I really relate to. Of course, it's about punishment: the corner can be anywhere, including the mind and the hat is a symbol of the Dunce. After being out in the public last week, and making all kinds of verbal faux pas, here I am in a corner of my studio with the dunce cap firmly in place. I'm just about ready to forgive myself and get on with talking to me, myself and I. At least I won't offend any of them!
d to hear often as a child ... guess I was a mean little girl! My mother was full of these sayings, totting them out as appropriate, and they have invaded my conscience. It is quite interesting to me that I can forget where I left my keys a moment ago, but can remember so many things from childhood. The imprint from early words have left their mark and, for the most part, it's a good thing.
n I drop a stone into water? Why does a good day have to end? Can everyone see me if I cover my eyes?
uses - many of which I visit over and over again. Every now and then I find a room that I didn't know was there and it's usually a wonderful discovery. I spend a lot of time in these new dream rooms exploring every detail and congratulating myself on my good luck. When I awake, there is the feeling that I've truly gained something. Since I'm not schooled in the interpretation of dreams, I can only guess at the meaning. It feels as if new areas of the subconscious are becoming available to me, and I await their manifestations in my work!
