New Work

Since I haven't posted in a long time, I am including images of some of my current pieces which are collages, assemblages and paintings.  They include works that are political reflecting what is going on in this country.  They are expressions of my feelings about the Me-Too movement, immigration, climate change and the presidency.  Others are more humorous and a riff on things that I think are funny.  I have also been working on abstract pieces and hope to do more of these in the future.

"Behind the Bars" 8X10

"Peeking" 11X14

                                                            "American Ghost Gothic" 11X14

                                                               "Looking"  11X14

                                                 "In the Name of Religion"  11X14

                                                        "Reflections"  11X14

                                                             "The Doorway" 12"X12"

                                                   "The White House aka The Swamp" 6" X 8

                                                       "An Unsafe Passage" 11" X 14"
                                   

                                                           "Authentic" 8" X 10"

                                                    "Destroy this Mad Brute"  11" X 14"

                                                   "Corruption on High" 13' X 13'

                                                       "Abstraction"  10 1/2" X 11"

                                                           "Ice Melt" 4"X 4" X 5"

                                                          "Adrift"  8" X 3" X 1"

"Climbing Out of Their Shells"  5" X 4" X 1"

Black Lives Didn't Matter

I have been thinking a lot about the injustice and prejudice that many people in this country have perpetrated over the years towards African Americans.  I decided to create an artwork that depicts those sentiments.  Although the piece reflects an earlier time, the message rings true today as well.

The piece is titled "Black Lives Didn't Matter" and is mixed-media on canvas 8"x10".

My Latest Works

MY LATEST WORKS

Since I have not posted in a long a time, I have chosen to feature some of the mixed media pieces that I have completed over the past year or so. I have continued to combine acrylic paint with collage on canvas along with mixed media collage on paper.  In addition, I have continued to create assemblages made with found materials.  Below are some examples:

"People Power" 10" x 8" assemblage

"Maze Run" 22x28 framed mixed-media acrylic on canvas 

"Contemplation" 11"x14" framed collage

"Alice Meets the Rabbit" 10"x16" mixed media diptych 

"Memories" 15"x15" framed collage

Using Words with Collage

It's been a while since my last post and I wanted to display two new collages that were made during this last semester using collage and words.  The first one is obviously political in nature and close to my belief system when it comes to civil rights.  We see Uncle Sam pointing to the flag and with the motto "liberty and justice for all" beneath.  The illustration however is taken from an flyer that advertised the sale of slaves during the 19th. century.  Irony is the context.

The second collage is a fictional account.  I had an old postcard of hikers perhaps during the turn of the century.  One of the women was removed and her presence is still there only ghostlike.  It then occurred to me to use words to compose a letter to her husband explaining her long absence.  I used various materials including lace to give it an "old" quality.  I even dyed the paper and burnt the edges of the note to add authenticity.

Spring Collage: Women Artists and the Word or the Act of Writing

This semester we are focussing on contemporary women artists who use words in their work.  One of the best known is Shirin Neshat an Iranian artist who resides in the United States.  According to an introduction before a Ted Talk the following offers a brief description of her work:
Her photographs and films offer a glimpse of the cultural, religious and political realities that shape the identities of Muslim women worldwide.
Here is an example of her altered photograph using words as a veil:

I found a current photo of the actress Tilda Swinton in New York Magazine that I altered it by adding henna to her hands and a bird's wing to her shoulder.

"Fourth of July"

In keeping with my intention to combine painting and collage I recently finished my latest piece.  With homage to Kandinsky I once again created a painting influenced by his shapes and colors.  The collage elements come from a bunch of postcards celebrating an old fashioned fourth of July.

"A Container" - Constructing an Assemblage

Continuing the theme of different materials this semester, a container  became an interesting vehicle for expression.  In keeping with my interest in assemblage (creating a sculpture out of found or everyday objects), I decided to use a wooden cigar box donated by one of the other students.  I am also drawn to imagery of people from earlier times.  I then created a family tree including members of mixed races and figures of native Americans along with actual twigs.
Below is the result: