Heart of Our Understanding
2016This series of work came out of my time in Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States of America in the winter of 2016. I was awarded an artist residency for an entire month to focus on my work at the Institute of American Indian Art. I went with the intention to focus entirely on creating an entire collection with motifs of color and reference to place in the desert of New Mexico. Many of the pieces have an angelic quality blended with a mixture of healing practices in finding balance.
Heart of Our understanding
41x24x3.5
"Heart of Our Understanding" is about listening to the knowledge of the past. It may come from a place different from right now but the transcendental truth will shine through. There's great knowledge deep within that is unlocked when we allow ourselves to listen and open our hearts.
Basswood, acrylic, metal ball chain, aluminum, and stain.
January 2016
Lady of the North
"32x8x4"
Lady of the North is an expansion of my use of bent wood. The main form is inline with my iconography seen in this current series of work. The spirited being represented here is connected not only to their humanistic Earthly self by the grounding of spirit, but also to the spiritual and transcendental knowledge that is from above and beyond self. In the center on may see a face looking out which is the space that helps the being find balance using love to see others and the world around. The wood on this piece is made of 5 layers of ash wood.
Basswood, ash wood, acrylic, wire, and stain.
January 2016
Our Lady
24X8X5.5
Our Lady, is a story about a lady who is connected to the unseen and spirit world and is rooted to the Earth. To connect to the Earth one must know and accept the human nature within each of our spirited selves. As this Our Lady connects to both the spirit world and stays grounded to the Earth a balance is found and that clarity into existence is shared with others through the space of the heart. The healing white light of understanding and love fills every space within. If you look at this form you will see into the heart of this being.
Glass
January 2016
Our Lady
57x29x4
"Ray Echoes" is about Santa Fe. It's influenced by the sunny days and long big black nights. There are beautiful silhouettes of the mountains that expand across this piece. The blue sky is filled with turquoise. The sun begins with the opening of the heart space and an Ora of energy and life is emulating out.
Basswood, ash wood, acrylic and stain.
January 2016
7 hands
34x8x3.5
"7 Hands" was originally created with 7 hands and as I progressed with the piece in form I decided I only wanted 6 hands pulling the heart space open. This piece is an expression of my realization to let go in love relationships. If I let go in a relationship and learn to trust someone then I will truly find the love I am looking for. I will in turn let go of my need to hold onto something so tight that I destroy it. I will be able to love without expectation. The ironic thing about this piece is that I am communicating the idea of letting go but I have used hands holding and pulling on the heart space to show this action.
Basswood, acrylic, bronze cast hands, and stain.
January 2016
Asking
60X24X5
This being represents the "Asking Festival" held in St. Michael's, AK in November just after the fish have left the shallow water along the coast and the people have gathered their food for the winter. Men would gather in the kashim and paint bodies with a mixture of charcoal and oil stripes and dots and stomp around. Then later the men would travel to each dwelling and display this nature using wooden dishes and ask for food of the women in each home. Later a man would present a wand, called an ai-ya-g'uk made of bent wood hoops, to each man and ask them what things they desired, being an object or sex with women or same sex person. The man who carried the wand would then go to the person in the village and present what the man had asked for. The person who was presented with the desire would then tell the wand carrier with something they want in return. The wand carrier would then present this request to the man doing the asking. After the men return to the men's house faces were washed with urine. The asking is of both the hearth and the root chakra.
Basswood, poplar wood, veneer, cotton twine, feathers, acrylic, oil paint, metal tacks, wooden dowel rod, feathers, copper plate, eye hooks and stain.
December 2015
Transcendence
60X21X4
"Transcendence" is a being that is connected to the Grand Spirit that connects to everything and is everything. Life comes down from the Grand Spirit when the heart and the humanness are open , this is when activation happens. The heart center is open in this form and is shown in a raw color and form to represent the humanness. The base of the piece is burnt to show the connection to the Earth. Our humanness has to stay connected to the Earth in order to fully experience life. The bent wood "halo" is open to the ground and the heavens and is reaching out from the sides to connect with other beings, spirits, and the universe.
Basswood, red cedar, acrylic, cut nails, dowel rod and stain.
December 2015