‘Pieced Constructions’ is my current (October 2014) show at Blackfish Gallery.

This recent body of work is composed of two types of wall-hung constructions made of recycled materials.  Both series involve a process of collecting the elements, arranging and attaching them together, and painting the final structure.

Several works are from my ongoing canvas construction series in which I incorporate leftover canvas scraps or painted strips from a prior installation, Deluge (January 2013).  The piecemeal process of sewing the re-purposed canvas sections together, as well as the resulting pattern-making, serve as a reference to traditional “women’s work”, such as quilt-making, which I’ve always admired.  Lastly in the process, the canvas sections are lavishly re-painted.  Several of the pieces are similar in size to a single bed quilt, approximately 48″ x 88″.  Two of the pieces are titled Sewing Circles and refer to the practice of women gathering together to work individually or collectively on their creative projects.  These works are made of circular pieces of canvas sewn with several layers, painted, and attached together with wire.

The second series involves pieced-together constructions of found sticks and small branches.  These are mounted on the wall but are a continuation of my previous Styx series of free-standing sculptures.  I use wire to attach the pieces of wood together and then paint the finished work.

The back room show at Blackfish this month features small sculptures by several Blackfish members, and includes one of my free-standing  sculptures from the Styx series, ‘Structure 6’.