If you’re going to be in Portland during September 2016, please stop by Blackfish Gallery to see my current show, ‘Sewn Constructions’.

Recycling is a central part of the five works in the show – I use leftover scraps of canvas that other painters have discarded, which I then cut, shape and sew to create variations on the traditional format of oil-on-canvas works.  These paintings depart from conventional representation of three-dimensionality on a flat surface; rather, they become three-dimensional objects that project out from the flatness of the wall.

I’ve always admired traditional handwork created (mostly) by women: quilts, weavings, knitted and sewn garments. These recent works follow the time-honored processes of reusing fabrics, piecing sections together, and hand-stitching them into place. I add decorative elements to the pieces – there are linear strips that resemble ribbons or cursive writing, and forms that are floral, an ironic reference to a still-prevalent sexist expectation that women should be pretty rather than powerful.

I’ve been creating sewn constructions for the past five years, and in these current works I’ve expanded my techniques of sculpturally shaping and composing the canvas segments.  My palette has expanded too – I find oil paint to be very sensuous and I use it lushly to embellish the constructions, like embroidery or lace upon a garment.

Trousseau (2016). 38″ x 46″ x 6″. Oil on canvas.

Regalia (2016). 56″ x 53″ x 6″. Oil on canvas.

Mama Loved the Roses (2015). 38″ x 24″ x 3″. Oil on canvas.

Eden (2016). 50″ x 53″ x 6″. Oil on canvas.

Blue Lady Roses (2015). 20″ x 13″ x 2″. Oil on canvas.

‘Allegory’ is an installation piece that is appearing in Fishbowl 1 (one of the window spaces outside Blackfish Gallery) during the month of November.

The five human-sized figures are constructed of painted cottonwood twigs and branches connected with copper wire.  The eccentric shapes that naturally occur in cottonwood are combined here with the ivory color of the paint to create a resemblance to bones.  The three figures in the foreground are interacting with each other, with the movements of their bodies suggesting a Bruegel-like wedding dance.  In contrast, the two figures behind them are static, and their helmet-like heads are reminiscent of the headgear worn by warriors and shamans in various traditional cultures.

Allegory (2014). Wood, acrylic paint, and copper wire.

Allegory (2014): detail. Wood, acrylic paint, and copper wire.

Stephanie Snyder wrote a very nice review of my October show for Artforum.  Click here to read her review.

Topkapi Blue (2014). 64″ x 46″ x 6″. Oil on canvas.

‘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’.

The first piece, a canvas construction called ‘Am I Blue?’, is on display in the April exhibit at Blackfish Gallery. The piece measures 88″ x 48″, and was created with oil paint on canvas strips sewn together. I included some detail photos of it in a previous post as a work in progress in my studio.

This month’s show also features 35 fish hanging in Blackfish’s front window space, which were created to celebrate Blackfish’s 35-year anniversary. My piece honors the styles of traditional Northwest Coast Indian art, and is a salmon sculpted out of cardboard and papier mâché and painted in acrylics.

Am I Blue? (2014): installation view. Oil on canvas.

Am I Blue? (2014): installation detail 1. Oil on canvas.

Am I Blue? (2014): installation detail 2. Oil on canvas.

Salmon (2014): installation view. Papier mâché.

Salmon (2014): detail. Papier mâché.

‘RAT/TAR/ART’ appeared in Blackfish Gallery’s ‘Irony’ theme show during the month of February 2014. The piece consists of three panels, and was inspired by my daughter‘s system of critiquing works of art.

RAT (2014). 8″ x 12″. Oil on panel.

TAR (2014). 8″ x 12″. Oil on panel.

ART (2014). 8″ x 12″. Oil on panel.

RAT/TAR/ART (2014). 8″ x 12″. Oil on panels.

The first piece, ‘Am I Blue?’, is a pieced canvas construction that will be shown at Blackfish Gallery’s 35th anniversary show, “Being Blackfish”, in April 2014. The materials have been recycled from my piece ‘Deluge‘, which appeared at Blackfish in January 2013. The second piece, ‘Styx – Wall’, is also made from recycled materials, in this case from the original ‘Styx‘, shown in my one-person exhibit in 2011. The last piece, ‘Sewing Circles 2’, is a follow-up to the original ‘Sewing Circles‘, which was shown in June 2013.

Am I Blue? (2014). Oil on canvas.

Am I Blue? (2014): Detail 1. Oil on canvas.

Am I Blue? (2014): Detail 2. Oil on canvas.

Styx – Wall (2014). Sticks, wire, acrylic paint.

Styx – Wall (2014): detail. Sticks, wire, acrylic paint.

Sewing Circles 2 (2014). Oil on canvas with wire.

Welcome to my New Work page, which features pieces that I’ve recently completed along with selected works in progress. I’m usually working on several pieces at a time, and once they’re ready to share I’ll post photos of them on this page.