Looking forward and back

Since May I have been in the process of creating an inventory of all my artwork. It begins in 1974 during my senior year at Kirkland College and will be ongoing. Thanks to Rebecca Gilbert and X Gallery, I now have a labeling system and spreadsheet that I can add to, ensuring that my work is documented.

As we have sifted through the shelves, drawers, files, and boxes, I have been amazed to observe the themes that repeatedly show up. There are four themes: simple and colorful shapes that have a spiritual meaning, reference to sacred sites and ritual, adopting personas through costuming, performance, and photography, and sourcing content from my personal experience.

As an example, the theme of spiritual imagery first emerged in 1977 with a series of ceramic wall sculptures of wings, flowers and leaves. At the time I lived in Los Angeles and was attending the Feminist Studio Workshop at The Woman’s Building. I made the sculptures in my bedroom (yes I slept with clay dust) and took them to be fired at a community kiln. Another series surfaced in 1985 when I built a series of wooden wall sculptures. See Caged Arrow above. By then I was living in Venice Beach and had a garage to work in. Most recently in 2019-2021, I made a series of gouache paintings, Healing Images, that echo the same theme and sensibility. Whether 2D or 3D, I am drawn to create a central object that floats in space. This simplicity hopefully allows the viewer the space to move into the images. What do you think when you look at these images?

I will be displaying a few of these wood sculpture series at Portland Open Studios. The Healing Images are on display at Cedarwood Waldorf School October 7-November 23, 2022.

Portland Open Studios

When: October 8, 9 and 15, 16. Hours: 10 am-5 pm

Where: 5633 NE 48th Ave, Portland, Oregon. Studio behind house

What: To observe the magic of plant printing and my creative process.