Wednesday, June 8, 2016

The current changed today and I began to breathe






It has been a year of profound loss. I lost my mother, my cat, and finally, my closest and best friend, my dog, Billie.  I guess, in a very cruel twist, it will inform my work, since I'm interested in how we transform the difficult emotions connected to memory, shame, loss and how these complexities impact our identity.  But I must confess, I have been engulfed by the riptide of grief and have been unable to overcome the waves of emotion and have just tried to get through the day-to-day process of trying to stay present and not give in to the overwhelming nature of loss.

But today, the current may have changed,  I think I popped up out of the water and began to breathe. 

I began to make work again.  As I wrapped the plaster around each pillow, I was struck by the repetitive motion I engaged in provided a sensation of wrapping each individual I lost in a blanket of love. And, at the same time I couldn't help but notice the sensation  of being buoyed by their love surrounding me as finally took the first step back into the act of making work after such a long time of being lost in unacknowledged grief. 

So, I have begun again identifying the complicated emotions that we all carry inside and try to ignore by covering it up and creating the identity we present to the world.  Here goes....one step and one day at a time out of the difficult darkness. 





Saturday, October 31, 2015

Last week of residency

I'm getting ready to begin the last week of the residency. It has been an amazing gift.  I've had to reflect on the past two years of work, the loss of my mom, and what opportunities I'd like to find in the upcoming year. I'm ready for another adventure and am feeling incredibly lucky that I get to wake  up each morning to such a beautiful and gentle place.

I head to Dublin for 3 days on Friday and then go visit my brother in Rome.  He's treating me to the Venice Biennale and I can't wait to see everything....















A little thing I did while I was in the Burren

Another piece that happened

Sunday, October 18, 2015

First week at the residency



Above, just a couple ideas I was playing around with...not sure where it will go. 

The first week here was mostly attempting to fight jet lag...I was consistently wired at night and draggy each day.  I feel so lucky to be here and am looking forward to seeing how this month unfolds and informs my work. 

Below are pics from this week.  A few funny warning signs, like "Be careful not to let your car go off the pier!!!" and one, I'm not sure what it means but I suspect it means "Don't bother the nesting birds!" 

I travelled to Galway this week and wandered around the entire day and talked with shop keepers and simply sat and watched the people.  It was a perfect day!

The beauty of the place takes my breath away.  I found that as soon as I got here, I could breathe. Perhaps, it was mostly because I had been so anxious about getting here.  I feel at home.  

Okay, well, I will stop for now.  I'll post more soon.
Cheers!









Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Here's my first post from my residency.  Although the jet lag is kicking my ass, I'm having great insights. I think I'm going to be able to learn some welding and some casting too.  Woohoo! 
One of my house mates has a car and she took me around yesterday to see the Cliffs of Moher.  I'll keep posting throughout the residency. Cheers! 


My studio





The view from my studio


inside the castle

landscape view and ocean down the street from the college

Cliffs of Moher

My new friend










Sunday, September 20, 2015

Getting ready for a new adventure

I am once again filled with conflicting emotions of excitement and trepidation that swirl around my head as I prepare for my residency at Burren College of Art in October.

 I find myself wondering how the new environment will create a shift in my thinking. How will it open up my imagination to new ideas and possibilities about my work?  Where it will take me?

I intend to visit the Magdalene Laundries in order to further my research surrounding the consequences of adoption and the stripping away of empowerment of women.

I will post images throughout my stay. WooHoo!

As an added treat...I get to travel to Rome to see my brother and he is treating me to a trip to Venice and the Biennale~ Pretty exciting stuff!

Monday, March 16, 2015

It's been awhile

This final semester is galloping along so quickly and I feel unprepared to say the least....
I've met with my mentor and it will be another good experience.
I am currently working on my draft of my thesis...sigh.  It will be a tremendous challenge but I guess it will be okay in the end.  I find I am still not clear on all the ideas behind my work so I'll continue to work on how to articulate what I want to say.

I'll attach some images from the January residency.



Saturday, November 22, 2014

Some Hairy Moments


I'm posting a few more images. I'm continuing the use of hair in these larger objects and am still working out how I'll pull all the objects together. Hopefully, all the images I've posted over the semester results in a more cohesive installation relating to how we carry our stories and hide our shame and vulnerabilities.  Obviously still a long way from where I would like it to be for our thesis show, but it's getting there slowly but surely.