top of page

Works in Progress

"Embracing Childhood"

"Embracing Childhood"

Images and videos shown are not completed works, and are for concept purposes only

Installation/Exhibition

Oh! to be Young again!!! Right!?!

Am I right?

 

"Embracing Childhood"

invites you back home

...to see again through the eyes of a child.

But will it be a childhood you recognize?

 

"Embracing Childhood" is an interactive, multimedia exhibition, looking at the dark side of childhood and the bright side of childhood trauma.

 

When an over-fifty, permanently-disabled, quasi-homeless, single-mother artist is (perhaps not so) unexpectedly plunged into an abyss of depression, her familiar boundaries blurring and crumbling around her, an unwelcomed exploration of the origins of behavior thrusts her work and world into unfamiliar territories, far beyond the bounds of comfort.

​

Welcome, Invitees

This page is an introduction to works-in-progress , collectively titled "Embracing Childhood"

Truly astonishing influences shared during a recent nine-month Artist Fellowship, where I intended to expand my body of work in (of all things) carved eggshells, ended up catapulting my work far from the comfortable miniature, minute detail I was most known for, spontaneously erupting, instead, into life-sized sculptures from relevant but random materials, far beyond my previous scope and scale.  Soon an entire curated story started writing itself, unfolding layer after layer before me, with piece upon piece popping into existence, fitting itself into place.  

 When I found myself asking the question:  "How can a grown woman be surrounded by so much beauty and still feel so much darkness?",  the only answer that kept coming was, "How did a child surrounded by so much darkness still see so much beauty?

The tale is still being written, and new works created.  The stories are old, yet the wounds are fresh. 

But there's healing in the telling, and in the hearing, alike.

​

These works are hot off the bench, and formal photos have not yet been taken.  Your patience and understanding are appreciated.  

20221213_030357_edited_edited.jpg

(actual artwork not shown)

"No Places Like Home"

Guests first encounter the bright colorful joy that is the unspoken promise of youth, and the welcomed sight of the familiar doorway home.

But closed doors hide so much.

"Step In"

When you enter the space, you're stepping into someone else's shoes.

​

You're startled by a lightening flash & a thunder clash as you pass the threshold, and the realization that you're now under a very black cloud.

​

​

...and you don't have an umbrella.

20230419_152753_edited_edited.jpg

"Remembering Childhood"

Directly facing you now is the painful start of it all: memories of childhood. 

​

​

​

​

​

Do you continue deeper into the room, or do you close your eyes and turn away?

20221206_041713_edited_edited.jpg

"The Grimmory"
(Scribbleman)

No need to worry.

There's no one that gives a damn about you here.  

​

​

​

Here, you might as well be invisible...

The Other Side - shown disassembled.jpg

"The Other Side (Limerence)"

"Embracing Childhood" will have you peering through windows that don't reflect your reality while seeing "The Other Side"

​

​

and reflecting on your own sense of self in the mirror of "Lies".

​

The Time it Takes to Heal (sculpture).jpg

"The Time it Takes to Heal"

But don't worry,

 

you'll be fine.

Exhibition Proposal

Images and videos shown are not completed works, and are for concept purposes only

"Embracing Childhood"

"Embracing Childhood"

'Embracing Childhood' promo.jpg

Our Story Continues:

...You know it's raining, but on "The Other Side" of the window, just beyond reach, the world looks like sunshiny perfection, but that side doesn't know you exist.  The place smells of stale beer and overflowing ashtrays, and a record player in the corner eternally spins with the static-y vinal ffft, ffft, ffft of music's solemn demise.

The Other Side - shown disassembled.jpg

"The Other Side" - three window pane triptych {shown disassembled}

"Morning Serenade" - reclaimed wine box, 3D printed elements - interactive

"Embracing Childhood", like real childhood, is a full-sensory experience, using visual, written and sound arts, interactive motion and even scent to navigate viewers through a life-sized child's tale of growing & discovering the world through the broken lens of disfunction, abuse, neglect and poverty.  

​

The multi-disciplinary artworks in this expansive exhibition explore original trauma and it's current manifestations, yet is buoyed by concepts of continued amelioration.

PA010538edit .JPG

"Dream Home" - paper - backdrop 'screen' for projected images

Arraigned as a generic apartment, visitors are guided through a series of vignettes featuring groupings of artworks with shared themes, each examining the origins and impacts of a dysfunctional upbringing.  Areas such as, "The Lies We're Told" and "Addiction and Subtraction" decorate the domicile liberally in a discomforting feng shui, colored with red flags, white lies and dark deeds.

 

While this exhibit keenly displays gruff topics and sensitive subjects, it's stark, prickly shadows and cold, sharp textures never-the-less result in a positive presentation worthy of reflection.

​

Intimate yet revealing, even the most private of experiences become relatable, and aims to evoke a sense of empathy, regardless of background or personal experience.

"The Way Back Machine"

hand  carved genuine ostrich eggshell, copper-plated

The many varied methods, materials and styles of artwork applied in this collection are a clear indicator this exhibit is as much about the artist exploring herself and her own limitations and capabilities as it is about uncovering how her past contributed to them.  

​

This is the overlooked child, jumping up and down, just begging to be seen for all they're worth.

​

  • "Addiction & Subtraction"

  • "Genetic Neglect"

    • "Breath of Newt"​

    • "Skin of Baby Mole"

    • "Parakeet Val(or?)"

    • "Cactus Juice"

    • "The Beauty of Plants"

  • "Don't Label Me"

  • "Buds & Butts"

  • "Message in a Bottle"

  • "Broken Glass & Tears - a Prosaic Mosaic"

  • "Sewer Subway"

  • "The Short Cut"

  • "Self Portrait"

  • "Sleepless"

  • "Go Play!"

  • "Kids in the Hall"

  • "Remembering Childhood"

  • "The Grimmory (Scribbleman)"

  • "No Places Like Home"

  • "The Other Side (Limerence)"

  • "The Spitting Image"

  • "Step In"

  • "Scatterbugs"

  • "Morning Serenade"

  • "The Remodeler"

  • "Of Fires and Thieves"

    • "Heat Exchange"​

    • "Inventing"

    • "Wall of Fame"

    • "Play Ball"

  • "Each Door a Story"

  • "Color Your World"

  • "Hobo Code"

  • "Layers"

  • "Succumb"

  • ​​"The Lies We're Told"

  • "Nothin' but Trash"

  • "The Chandelure" 

  • "(Use) The Tools You Have"

  • "The Time it Takes to Heal"

  • "Mirror of Lies"

  • "The Poisons We're Fed"

    • “Baby Bottle Madness” (merc.)

    • “Face the Mosquitoes” (ddt)

    • “Keep Fuzzy Wuzzy Naked!”

    • “Super. Fantastic. Elastic Bubbles”

    • “Red m&ms & Candy Cigs”

    • “(Lead) Paint Chips (& Dip)”

    • "Trashed"

  • DIY Sculpture Station

  • "Spin Cycle Trimester"

  • "Adverse Climb"

  • "Deep Dive Slide"

The Collection:

In keeping with the artist's idea of 'reclaiming' herself, most pieces are created with at least one reclaimed element integral to it's development.

Listed below are some completed works, some in-production, and a couple pipe-dreams.

Whether through sculpture, photography, traditional media, written word or computer graphics, the story keeps telling itself, and I'll keep listening, in hopes of one day walking through the whole tale with you.

Proposed Gallery Layout 1.gif

  • "Addiction & Subtraction"

  • "Genetic Neglect"

    • "Breath of Newt"​

    • "Skin of Baby Mole"

    • "Parakeet Val(or?)"

    • "Cactus Juice"

    • "The Beauty of Plants"

  • "Don't Label Me"

  • "Buds & Butts"

  • "Message in a Bottle"

  • "Broken Glass & Tears - a Prosaic Mosaic"

  • "Sewer Subway"

  • "The Short Cut"

  • "Self Portrait"

  • "Sleepless"

  • "Go Play!"

  • "Kids in the Hall"

  • "Remembering Childhood"

  • "The Grimmory (Scribbleman)"

  • "No Places Like Home"

  • "The Other Side (Limerence)"

  • "The Spitting Image"

  • "Step In"

  • "Scatterbugs"

  • "Morning Serenade"

  • "The Remodeler"

  • "Of Fires and Thieves"

    • "Heat Exchange"​

    • "Inventing"

    • "Wall of Fame"

    • "Play Ball"

  • "Each Door a Story"

  • "Color Your World"

  • "Hobo Code"

  • "Layers"

  • "Succumb"

  • ​​"The Lies We're Told"

  • "Nothin' but Trash"

  • "The Chandelure" 

  • "(Use) The Tools You Have"

  • "The Time it Takes to Heal"

  • "Mirror of Lies"

  • "The Poisons We're Fed"

    • “Baby Bottle Madness” (merc.)

    • “Face the Mosquitoes” (ddt)

    • “Keep Fuzzy Wuzzy Naked!”

    • “Super. Fantastic. Elastic Bubbles”

    • “Red m&ms & Candy Cigs”

    • “(Lead) Paint Chips (& Dip)”

    • "Trashed"

  • DIY Sculpture Station

  • "Spin Cycle Trimester"

  • "Adverse Climb"

  • "Deep Dive Slide"

"Embracing Childhood" is a journey of resilience, where darkness gives way to hope, and wounds turn to wonder

"I have noticed that people are dealing too much with the negative, with what is wrong. They do not touch enough on what is not wrong—it’s the same as some psychotherapists. Why not try the other way, to look into the patient and to see positive things, to just touch those things and make them bloom?"  --  Thich Nhat Hanh

bottom of page