2020

Brown Angel (Brown Angle Shades-owlet moth)

In June, 2020 During my time in isolation I had feelings of anxiety and fear. Portland became a war zone of police brutality against the people standing up in solidarity for humanity and the rights of all.

I was looking for some relief in all of this. Then a series of four moths appeared through out a day. One was on the lock to my studio door, another crawled up my back and I spotted it in a mirror, one was under a work table top, and another came out of some boxes of supplies. That particular moth was a Large Yellow Underwig, a species of owlet moths.

In Maine and a butter fly moth came to a garden and showed its beauty. In Portland, Oregon on our deck a plain plume moth came to us and hung out for many days.

Moths have been a large part of this season in my life and I felt it was time to create something to honor the quiet healer.

This mask was designed after the Brown Angle Shades Moth, a species of owlet moths. I named the piece Brown Angel to pay tribute to the BLM and POC movements and to share something of beauty that has given me some relief.

The wings move along the hoop track and give the moth life.

Basswood, Myrtle wood, vintage pony hide, poly fabric, wire, beads, feathers, caribou hair, acrylic, copper wire, metal tacks, rabbit fur, air system ball joints, nails, screws, and Oak wood.

December, 2020

Ocean Sounds

27X24X6

This last couple of months being home more I have spent a lot of time thinking about the openness of the world that I can not go out into as easily as in the past. I look up at the sky, as all dreamers do, to imagine a world beyond that rainbow. Or in this instance, quarantine. I literally look into the sky and see the beauty beyond my current world. I take time to remember the smells of the salt water and the grasses blowing in the wind. And see the freedom in those wide open and powerful waters edges. It is a time of transition and I hope to remember and honor the beauty and gifts around.

May 2020

Wood, acrylic, oak, feathers, fur, wire, quills and stain.

Life’s Eye

19x19x6
Life’s Eye is a being who looks out into the world and captures the eye of a person and shares the connections to the universe and our lives in spiral. As we live things come back through and our minds are twisted. Not knowing if we are living a dream or reality, maybe both. Looking at the center and connecting to the energy in and outside ourselves and sharing this truth. Becoming whole.
As the mask wearer looks up the mouth opens to give breath and voice to this cosmic spirit.

Wood, ash, feathers, brass metal, French handmade nails, bone, stain, magnets, and oil paints

April 28th, 2020

Arctic Visions

30x30x14

We sat talking, sharing, listening, and learning about our lives changed by events of conquest and restructuring.  We were looking at what we had left and what we wanted.  We challenged each other’s views and ideas while looking deep into the real expressions of who we all were.  I kept thinking about the reason we were there, “to look for visions into who we are, what we value, and how we can take that knowledge and use it to change our lives”.  Hopefully changing in a direction that is more true and that can honor all parts of the world.  

Because we had conversations from the perspective of place, Alaska, I kept in my mind the most burned image, the blue skies, and the snow covered lands that stretch as far as the eye can see.  I thought of an owl I saw in the frozen Arctic.  How I would spot it sitting on a rock in the middle of a lake with a road circling around.  I remember looking and seeing the eyes look at me from so far away.  The owl seems to bring wisdom and a focus in what is seen.  

Most of the appendages on this mask are installed with materials that allow the parts to move as a dancer moves.  Giving the mask some life and a way to expand the seen story.  I hope to pull the viewer in with the eyes and the life in this piece.  Changes are happening and we need a vision of where we are going, and use the tools within our own selves and our cultures to perpetuate a way of life that is in balance. 

Basswood, furn baleen, metal grommet, ash wood synthetic sinew, found bullet casings, acrylic paint.

April 28th, 2020