I have always felt the presence of spirit. From the time I was a young child, I felt the living spirit in trees, stones, rivers, mountains. I heard the whispers of the ancestors in
the land and have always spoken, in the language before language, with animals and trees. I have also always made things. When I make paintings, I feel I am sharing my
astonishment of the beauty of the earth. When I make sculptures,
it is because I want to make visiblethe the spiritual presence and
power I feel in all things.
Raw and unrefined, these sculptures feel close to the bone of who I am and the energy and essence of the forest where I live. The images come to me from deep within, spirit beings of trees and ancestors and shapefiters. They are made of stoneware, polymer clay or self-hardening clay, branches, roots, feathers, bones and anything I can stick together with an interesting form. The few here were made over the course of fifteen years and represent the recurring theme of Grandmothers, Tree and Root Spirits,
Ancestors and Singing Spirits.
"Root Grandmother", celluclay, hemlock root & mixed-media.
She guards the gateway to the forest from the garden, making
sure all who enter are pure of heart.
"Root Woman", roots & clay
"Root Person", black birch roots & clay.
"Ancestor Spirit", clay, feathers, wood
"Grandmother Winter", polymer clay, sticks, feathers, wool, mouse bones and skull
collected from owl pellet.
"Singing Catepillar", clay, shell, sticks, driftwood.
