Getting here
Most artists are driven people. We have lots of explanations for our work- we can explain with the best of them. But where the original impetus comes from, well, I know what triggered it for me. A drawing my big brother did for our mother. One look and I knew that was what i wanted to do in life. Of course, life did get in the way but after years of searching for the voice wanted to have, I feel like I’m in a good place.
I started out as a soft sculptor/quilter and had shows in the Nassau County Museum and the Morris Museum, as well as galleries. I went into costume restoration, including a stint at the Brooklyn Museum. Since the mid 90’s I have also been a graphic artist and designer. In 2007 I was the graphic artist and designer for the Wash. D.C. Celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Vietnam Wall, and this year I have a book coming out for the Brooklyn Wall of Remembrance , a tribute for the 10th Anniversary of September 11th.
I started out as a soft sculptor/quilter and had shows in the Nassau County Museum and the Morris Museum, as well as galleries. I went into costume restoration, including a stint at the Brooklyn Museum. Since the mid 90’s I have also been a graphic artist and designer. In 2007 I was the graphic artist and designer for the Wash. D.C. Celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Vietnam Wall, and this year I have a book coming out for the Brooklyn Wall of Remembrance , a tribute for the 10th Anniversary of September 11th.
Metaphors, Hearing & Velveteen Rabbits
I’ve been hard of hearing most of my life. There is no question that this one fact has impacted every aspect of my life. In essence, I hear with my sight. Although I can hear sound with my hearing aids, what I experience in conversation and in music is a far cry from what someone with normal hearing does. I’ve learned to substitute visual impressions for aural ones- So many things become metaphors for others- All the materials I use in my work are metaphors for flesh and bone, for cloth and costume, for bits and pieces of the world. The watch pieces reference time. The imagery is anyone’s guess. I bet my therapist would have lots to say about that :).
One of the most influential books I read as a child was the Velveteen Rabbit. If you ever loved a stuffed animal, you remember how alive it felt to you. I try, in my work to not only represent a particular idea, but I hope that my pieces, like a velveteen rabbit, take on a life of their own. |
It's Assemblage, but is it art?
I guess it’s how you define “art.” I don’t care much for a lot of the art that’s out there today- give me a good Michelangelo or Joseph Cornell anyday. And outsider art. Because art is 2 things- the creative process and the finished work. For me, the best art is a transcendental occurrence, where process and materials coalesce into a unique and meaningful expression- that it takes on a life of its own. I love Outsider Art for this reason.
So with assemblage, it’s a wonderful thing when the piece you put together suddenly becomes so much greater than the sum of its parts. |