I Am In It With All My Heart.

I started to assemble my beeswax piece.  All of the components are coming together nicely.  I put the pieces I have thus far together the other night.    

The piece undulates in unique ways.  I have tried to stay true to the form of the piece.  I let it hang where it drops naturally.

I took a trip with professor and mentor Totem Shriver a few days after I hung up my piece.  We went to see a beekeeper and their hives.

They were beautiful.  Even though there was no beeswax to purchase, the hives were all incredible.

I am inspired by the natural shape of the hexagon and what it has to show and teach me.  I hope to do the hive justice in my work. 

I am excited to finish this work.

I Am Striving...

I am striving...  I am in a constant mode of striving and through this mode have developed the following pieces.

And I have gotten better at making these beeswax pieces.

They now look cleaner, more dynamic than ever before.

These pieces are made from embossing powder, beeswax and cans.

I am pleasantly surprised at how confident I am getting at manipulating the beeswax.

I Am Seeking.

The bee starts a task, finishes it, starts another task, finishes it, and so it goes on in a rhythmic fashion until every job is complete.  This is how I approached creating every component of this piece.  The process of sewing became meditative, and one stitch at a time, one task at a time, a hive began to form.  With the womb, the ideal safety place, in mind I have created this hive; a place of work, a place of rest, a place to feel.

From Inside...

From inside the hexagonal piece one can see the beginning of what will be a hive of a bucky ball.

(Inside)

All of the hexagonal pieces are hand stitched together.

(A detail)

I want this piece to be at least 10 X 10 feet in size.  It will be an ever consuming piece with the senses of smell, touch and sight all being utilized.  

I am excited for this piece and hope that I will get a lot of sewing done over the break!

Open Studio Part 2

For this open studio I focused heavily on the idea of the hive.  

I have represented the hive with hexagonal forms made from honeycomb, among various other items. 

(A detail)

The first piece is an in-progress honey comb buggy ball. 

(Details)

The next two pieces are a part of a piece called A Collection.

And finally there is a pedestal in the middle of my studio to tie the pieces together.

I have tried to make a cohesive sensory experience.  From the scent of honeycomb, to the touch of the honeycomb layered hexagons, to the visual pieces I have tried to involve as many senses as possible in my work.

I hope you all enjoy!

And Inside...

And inside we were safe.  And inside we were free.  And though we did not skip, or run, or jump; we were free.  Inside we were safer than we ever would be again, because the womb was a place of safety, and warmth, love, and joy.  The womb was where we had a chance to form and grow.  It made us feel at home and at peace, all within a source of energy.  And when we got pushed, forced into the world, and out of the nest, we were immediately smacked, labeled and pronounced to be, “just so.”   So take your time to experience the smell, the sight, the feeling of being at home… once again. 

Gallery Showing

Two of my pieces recently got chosen for a call for work.  This is a gallery show that occurs every year at Linfield college.  It is composed of all student work.  I am very proud to say that two of my pieces were chosen for this great opportunity!

I feel very blessed to be a part of this student show.  

I am also very proud to say that a few of my fellow students decided to create a show of their own.  Guggle Gallery was a collection of paintings, and drawings, all placed on the floor to be stepped on by gallery participants.

The rules to this gallery were that there were no rules; a notion that goes against a lot of galleries in this day and age.

I have learned a lot over this past semester.  I believe I have grown in ways I was ready for.  

I was able to look past the things that held me back, such as sickness, and make art even if it physically hurt.

I am so grateful to have this outlet in my life and am excited to share more works!