"Making & Mindfulness"

Over the past year, I've been working on my Senior Thesis project.  I made a series of sculptures and drawings revolved around the idea that doing process-oriented, time consuming tasks helps stimulate mindfulness, which eventually leads to recovery from traumatic experiences.  That sentence nutshells my research quite a bit, but hopefully seeing the photos of my work and my artist statement will help fill in some gaps.  Enjoy!

Build[ing] Up, 2016, plastic sheeting, latex paint, joint compound, paraffin wax, white and yellow beeswax

cut, tie, wrap, pull, repeat (Perspective), 2016, white fabric, wood chair

(Left) Constructive Action, 2016, plaster, chicken wire, wood, PVC pipe, lace, plastic tarp

(Right) Constructive Action (Afterthought), 2016, plaster, wire mesh, wood, plastic tarp, unraveled rope

 

(here are some detail shots)

Continuity/Disruption in White, 2016, white muslin and similar found fabric

Continuity/Disruption in Cream, 2016, cream-colored muslin

Line Variations (with tools), 2016, charcoal power, polycrylic, wood tools

This past year was a tough one, and the added stress of this project didn't make it any easier, but I am so happy to have followed it through.  I am incredibly proud of this show, and all of the work featured in it.  It's experiences like these that push me to continue making art. 

***UPDATE: My sister at KGD films, made this amazing video of my exhibition opening (she also took some of these beautiful photos you see above).  Take a look and please visit her website and like her on Facebook!***

To watch the video click here

Necklaces!!

Happy Wednesday! Today, I am posting a couple of necklaces I made in the past few months.  I got really into wood carving and using different Dremel bits.  I had so much fun making these necklaces, and I can't wait to wear 'em out!  I love making jewelry and clothing, because it makes you feel so accomplished.  Especially when people ask you where you got it.  Definitely more to come!

Stay tuned for some prints as well!!!

2016!

Hello!!  I hope everyone's holiday was full of fun and good times.  I wanted to share a fun project I completed just before the holidays.  Lots of artists exchange pieces with one another as a way to have fun and to expand their art collections.  Recently, some fellow artists and I exchanged mini sculptures just in time for the holidays.  I thought I would share some pictures of mine.  I had a ton of fun with this project and got very into wood carving!!  Enjoy these and have a great New Year everyone!

Happy Holidays!

The holiday season is finally upon us, and I have LOTS of new projects to share, so be on the look out.  Today, I am posting a project that I completed about a week ago.  It is another mold-making project, but it involved some pretty interesting casting materials.  I took molds of a couple different shaped pipes, and cast them in a mixture of paraffin wax, sawdust, sand, rocks, charcoal, and human hair.  The purpose of this project was an experiment in seeing how much of the sawdust-sand-hair mixture the cast pieces would pick up, and also what would happen if I modified the molds by carving into them.  Even though I took this kind of a weird way, it was fun experimenting with unusual materials.

What's Left of Us, 2015, paraffin wax, sawdust, sand, rocks, charcoal, hair

More posts to come really soon, so stay tuned!!!

Wood bent sculpture

A couple of years ago, I first tried making a sculpture out of steam bent wood.  I just recently finished another attempt at a steam bent wood sculpture.  Even though many things went wrong, and plans changed, ultimately I am happy with this sculpture.  I do not have a name for it yet, and I probably will not end up giving it one.  I think this sculpture can be seen many different ways and it resembles many different objects.  Instead of telling the viewer "what it is", they interpret for themselves, and enjoy the form and the shadow.

Untitled, 2015, wood (cherry)

"This Is Not About You"

"This Is Not About You", was a half-year long project, that I completed last Spring.  With this project, I explored issues of body ownership, relying heavily on the portrayal of female bodies within the media and in cases of sexual violence.  In order to do this project, I needed women to volunteer to have their breasts cast.  I took the initial mold using Alginate, and then made a mother mold using plaster gauze.  During this process, I had an open conversation about the volunteer's relationship to their bodies, and/or any incidents that made them feel as though they lost ownership over their bodies, etc.  I recorded and then transcribed these conversations, in order to create a booklet of anonymous quotes to accompany the sculptures.  After the mold was made, I filled the Alginate and plaster gauze mold with plaster.  From there, I would reshape the form of the mold, making it reminiscent of ancient Greek or Roman sculpture.  It is a hard project to explain in a short paragraph, so if you have any questions, feel free to ask.  Also, I must apologize for the photographs.  The person that took them did not capture the work from multiple angles or do close-ups on individual pieces.  Hopefully, better photos to come soon!

These are direct quotations from my conversations with the volunteers.  Some are very intense, and could act as a trigger for anyone who has been sexually assaulted.

 



This project was really special to me.  The women I worked with are incredibly brave for trusting me with their bodies and their stories.  I can only hope that this project makes us remember that our bodies belong to us, and only us.

Sorry for the break!

Hey there! It has been quite a while - oops! So I wanted to come back with a new sculpture that I just made.  Recently, I've been looking into Process Art and soft sculpture, so I had a lot of fun mixing a traditional craft with non-traditional materials.  More sculptures to come soon, and maybe some drawings too!

  Woven Wire, 2015, copper wire, coated wire, foam strips, screen mesh, paper string, rubber tubing

These drawings were made in response to the woven wire piece.  They were created by making impressions, of the materials used in the woven piece, in a block of clay.  I then made an oil and charcoal powder mixture, which I painted on the blocks, and then stamps on the cardboard pieces.

Enjoy!