The Why Behind Each Swipe of Clay...
Everything I do within each work of art has a reason... Within each swipe of clay lies a thousand acts of self-forgiveness...the celebration and reclaiming of a life journey I have dedicated to the creation of beauty and goodness in this life.
Yes, within her skin lies my life as I have lived it. But each page is also born of your stories~of each soul I have connected with somehow along the way. My unleashed and unsquandered imagination has danced with each of you, My Loves...and it continues in this dance long after our meeting, into each work of art I create from that point forward. Each magical pas de deux I have partaken in is ever intertwined in the eternal dialogue of my soul's ultimate purpose and work.
And this dialogue has become My Way... The Voices I hear are not only my company, but my guides, motivation, and inspiration as well. For the difficult voices and experiences, I sculpt from growth and the need to f ind the compassion to forgive. From the generous and divine voices, I create from a pure and inexhaustible love.
A glimpse of the "Why" behind my "Brave Faith"
She has no eyes that we can see... symbolic of my constant struggle to create with a different kind of sight, as my vision has challenged me throughout my journey. The open head... symbolic of a wide open mind, and the strength of my connection beyond this body and it's limitations.
It is the Up and the Beyond I am most focused on as an artist...what we create or imagine or rise to greet within our lives. And this does not happen merely within the mind alone. It happens DESPITE the mind and its countless, ever-shifting intricacies. Beyond the mind. Beyond the known. Beyond the proven. For my proof has only ever lived through a life support of faith spun invisibly by grace. I recreate what I believe...not what I know. I sculpt what I imagine...not what I see.
Crystals within her mind...near the spaces where eyes might have been. These symbolize an outlet for her light. The clearest, most translucent light that comes from within each of us. It illuminates my pieces. It has illuminated my life through its many times of darkness. And I truly believe it has the power to illuminate the world, if we only remember to believe.
Antlers... I have learned through the journey of this piece that we each innately have what it takes to protect the treasures within the soul. We were born with this capacity and we can grow this strength as we learn and live. This does not mean we must become hard or cruel or jaded or defensive. In knowing we have the capacity to self protect, we allow ourselves the gift of remaining tender... knowing we may call upon our inner warrior at any moment and that she will never forsake us. Some call this God. Some call this strength or faith. I think of this, most simply, as Trust. It has been incredibly challenging for me to find my way back to that trust within myself. Knowing that the only backbone I will ever need is my own. Knowing that the greatest power we have is the power to rise above, to walk away, to let go, to forgive, to move forward, and to choose again. It is in every one of us. I promise you this...
