The American White Pelicans are my installation piece, on the fence in my back yard. These big, beautiful birds migrate through Oklahoma every year and sometimes spend days on the lake behind my house. They have a wing span of about nine feet and are amazingly graceful flyers, circling around many times before they land.
American White Pelicans
8' x 6'
Latex paint
My second piece is a dragonfly, also inspired by the beautiful dragonflies that visit the lake. Many species of insects are endangered because of habitat loss. There are re new housing additions going in all around the lake and less open land for grass and wetlands.
Dragonfly
24” x 30”
Colored pencil, pastel, gold leaf on mat board
The gold leaf on paper was something new for me, but I have been wanting to try it for a while. It was very challenging, with the gold leaf wrinkling up and going everywhere except where I wanted it.
I wanted to make another book, this time a blank journal. I used mixed media paper so that I can watercolor or glue heavier papers into it because of the COVID19 lockdown I wasn’t able to get the correct thread. Using sewing thread was not ideal, although I did like the color.
Leather Journal
6.5”x9.5”
Leather, book board, art paper, thread, mixed media paper
The leather cover is reusable. When the journal is full you can slip it out of the pocket and slide a new journal in.
Feast/Famine
12”
Cyanotype on muslin, glass beads
I really wanted to do the cyanotype again. The first one was too washed out. This one turned out much brighter and clearer.
Cyanotype First Test
As you can see, the second one came out much better, with a really rich blue. I'm not so sure about the glass beads. I was going for an icey look but maybe not.
I had a piece of cloth left over so I did some more cyanotype.
Green Beetle Box
8" x 8"
Cigar Box, image transfer, acrylic paint, pheasant skull, marble paper, artificial eggs
I wanted to do more work on this box, especially on the inside. I really like the marbled paper that I used and wanted to accent that. Containing the eggs and skull inside the beetle box speaks to the cycle of life and death, questioning why we would try to contain it.
Red Beetle
9" x 12"
Acrylic on paper
This is another piece that I choose to revisit and take a step further. I wanted to conect the insect to the inviroment, it's home, that is dissapearing. We don't see the small creatures as we cut down the trees for toilet paper and kitchen towels. How many species have been lost that we never even knew were ther? If we can find value in the smallest things, we will work toward a more sustanable way of life.
Pagent
6"x6"x5"
Cigar Box, image transfer, brass, plexiglass, pastel
This object is as much about what you can't see and what you can, and is a statement about what happens to some young girls in the pagent world. Sometimes there is an ugly world under the lovely surface, and these girls grow into scarred women.
Throughout history women have been targets of violence and depravity. Raped, murdered, and then thrown away and forgotten by humanity. These are our grandmothers, mothers, sisters, and daughters. How do we honor those women?
Black Dalia
11"x14"
Collage and marker on paper
Lastly, I have my blue fin tuna mobile for your relaxation and enjoyment. Our oceans are choking with plastic, and this is going to effect all of us if we don't make drastic changes now.
Thank you and I hope you enjoyed my art!