New Adventure

Life is funny, you know? Just as I was getting use to living on the east coast...now it is time to move on. We're headed for Dubai and I'm sure that living there will be a big adventure. I can't take many of my tools so I am hoping that being stripped of all my tricks will just make me better, I do love a challenge.

Steel Houses

Steel Houses

During Penland's spring concentration I continued to explore various enameling techniques using similar shapes in order to compare the results. I wanted to figure out how to form 3 dimensional objects which would hold up during the firing process. I enamel between the temperatures of 1500-1550 degrees. Most solders flow before reaching these temperatures making things a bit more difficult to make larger 3D objects. Over the last few years I have become very fascinated with the book arts and felt that there are many possibilities that would combine both of these mediums & solve my 3D dilemma.

This is one of three steel houses that I created while at Penland. They are part of a body of work in which I am exploring the ghosts in my life. You will recognize this silhouette of my Great grandmother Emmy G. I wanted these houses to convay the feeling of cold hard loneliness that a pinoeer would experience while living on the high northern plains of Montana.

I am thrilled with the results of this experiment and am very excited to see what comes next.

My Ghosts

Continuing Thoughts....

This is an image to remind me of the new direction I wish to be taking my work. I really shouldn't call it a "new" because I have been thinking about it for a while. This is a continued exploration of the ghost/shadow presence of my Grand Grandmother in my life. What is an actual breakthrough for me is to consider working with mediums other than enamel.

Mica Factory

I took this photo while on a field trip to the mica factory near Spruce Pine NC. I think it is very inspiring, enjoy.

Found the llamas....Penland NC, April 2009

Penland School of Crafts

On Friday March 6th I'm hitting the road and returning to Penland in search of the llama....

Toll House

The Pines

I am a work-study student which means that I will be spending many hours here at the Pines cleaning pots and pans, then more pots and pans....Wait a minute didn't I come here to enamel?

SURFACING

Two pieces, 'Emmy G. Spoke Norwegian' And 'House For Elsie Dorothy' have been accepted for Surfacing, the 12th biennial International Juried Exhibition sponsored by the Enamelist Society. The exhibition will be held August 7-9 at the Oakland Art Gallery. A full color catalog will be available for sale at the Enamelist Society Conference in Oakland during the dates listed above or from the Enamelist Society website after the conference (http://www.enamelistsociety.org/).

House for Elsie Dorothy

This little sculpture was made in memory of my grandmother who passed away a year ago. She was the daughter of Emmy G. and grew-up on the remote Montana prairie. Elsie out lived her younger sister, brother, husband and 3 of her 4 children. During her last ten years of life she lived with my parents but constantly dreamed of someday returning to her own home. My last glimpse of my grandmother was to see her wistfully peeking out her bedroom window as I drove away. My impression of her that day was not as an aging woman but a small child, hence the “House for Elsie Dorothy”.