1999 - 2014
D.A.T.C. (During After Through Children)
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I made "In Blue" with our backyard ancient lemon tree in mind. In fact, the yellow shape on the bottom left is a photo of this tree.
I love copper wire and it was fun to use it in this piece while thinking of the sinewy lemon tree branches.
I love copper wire and it was fun to use it in this piece while thinking of the sinewy lemon tree branches.
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The title for “Devil Time” is taken from the lovely song by
Claudia Schmidt, called “Old Devil Time”. I combined my discarded Timex watch, a broken ruler, smalti, glass, and text (all on wood), to try to express my ever more distasteful relationship with measured time. “Devil Time” is number 671 out of the 704 mosaics that I have made. Some things I still like to measure! |
The Standard Issueds
In 2002, after having made over 600 mosaics with maybe two thirds of those that included a heart shape, (not really sure about those numbers, but there were A LOT of hearts!), I was becoming a bit heart-weary. But the silliness of the idea: "Standard Issue", as if whatever makes us human could ever be re-producible in standard fashion, re-lit my fire and I made nine Standard Issueds, moving onward in my making. Each sculpture included text.
H O V E R

These six pieces, "A Little Bit of Beauty to Remember #1 through #6 ( for Us, for George)" were made for a show in 1999 called Hover , which was sponsored by the San Francisco Art Institute Artists' Committee. The show was held throughout the Art Institute and these sculptures were temporarily installed in the
Anne Bremer Library.
I printed cards containing the paragraph of text featured on the front of each sculpture and used the floor of each sculpture as a spot to hold the cards. The viewer was free to take the cards home if she/he wished. These words were the basic inspiration for the pieces and they were written by George Manupelli when he was Dean of the San Francisco Art Institute . George's words were printed as the Introduction to the 1983 College Catalogue.
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Is this a holy Valentine ? Who knows, but it IS so pink, with lots of different textures. I used old jewelry and candy-like Venetian smalti .
St. Valentine happened to be Roman.
St. Valentine happened to be Roman.
A.P. photograph by David Leeson

I made this mosaic using an A.P. photograph by David Leeson that I found in the San Francisco Chronicle. This photo haunted me for months and quietly distilled all my words and emotions in opposition to the Iraq War.
I had been using the heart form for many years, (with and without the proximity of nails), and in this case, it felt appropriate and right to use nails as a means to express an intensity of feeling and the very corporeal quality of that which occurs in war-torn areas of the world. By using the simple text of : "She Be Me", I wanted to remind myself and the viewer of the fact of fate -- the accident or fortune of birth that places us on this very small planet. The use of these words was also a nod towards the poetry of Black American English and another attempt to make a cross-cultural connection.
The color scheme of "rainbow" was bequeathed to me by my then six-year old daughter and by my enduring admiration for the work of Marc Chagall.
The Lateness Trilogy
I made these pieces because I have a hard time dealing with time.
I made these pieces because I have a hard time dealing with time.
Text On The Top: TIME IS MONEY
Text On The Bottom: “By Satan’s Watch-fiends tho’ they search numbering every grain of sand on Earth every night, they never find this Gate.” by William Blake |
I made these three mosaics in 2002 while I was having trouble getting my kids to school on time. I often dropped them off 5 minutes late. (Okay, maybe a bit more!) Much to my chagrin, this became a very big deal at their public charter school. It became such a big deal that I started to receive punitive embarrassing letters from the director saying that if I could not get my kids to school on time I would have to meet with the director, teacher and the governing board I balked at this. Eventually, the school changed how they dealt with tardy parents like myself and I worked harder at getting my kids to school right on the dot! I found a way, though, to channel my resentments and nervousness about falling short as a parent who had trouble with time in the morning --- "The Lateness Trilogy" was born!
“Amor ch’a nullo amato amor perdona”
“Love, which insists that love love shall mutual be.”
“Love, that excuses no one loved from loving.”
“Love, that denial takes from none beloved.”
by Dante Alighieri from Inferno (Canto V, 103)
“Love, which insists that love love shall mutual be.”
“Love, that excuses no one loved from loving.”
“Love, that denial takes from none beloved.”
by Dante Alighieri from Inferno (Canto V, 103)
I began this Tecza-Arcobaleno Set series in 2010. The goal was to have each set deal with a different color and there would be 3 pieces in
each set. I began with the color grey, because I was feeling grey. I normally do not care for the color and that is why I chose to begin with it.
I enjoyed making the grey pop with purple and yellow. I think it works, or at least it works for me!
I was working out some anxieties, hence all the numbered worries swirling about (the text). The worries, are SO of the Earth.
The word "tecza" means rainbow in Polish. (However, I have mis-spelled the word because I am having difficulty using a Polish keyboard, hence no
accents.). And "arcobaleno" means rainbow in Italian.
each set. I began with the color grey, because I was feeling grey. I normally do not care for the color and that is why I chose to begin with it.
I enjoyed making the grey pop with purple and yellow. I think it works, or at least it works for me!
I was working out some anxieties, hence all the numbered worries swirling about (the text). The worries, are SO of the Earth.
The word "tecza" means rainbow in Polish. (However, I have mis-spelled the word because I am having difficulty using a Polish keyboard, hence no
accents.). And "arcobaleno" means rainbow in Italian.
This is number three in the Tecza-Arcobaleno Set #1, Elements of Gray. I couldn't decide between the elements of air and water --- they felt
intertwined for me, so I decided to combine them.
I first heard the Latin phrase "lacrimae rerum" while listening to the audio rendition of the Geraldine Brooks' novel, Year of Wonders.
Lacrimae rerum can mean "tears in things" in English. What more is there to say?
intertwined for me, so I decided to combine them.
I first heard the Latin phrase "lacrimae rerum" while listening to the audio rendition of the Geraldine Brooks' novel, Year of Wonders.
Lacrimae rerum can mean "tears in things" in English. What more is there to say?
The real title of this sculpture is, "Ah, the Nourishment..... said Rosa". One day, many years ago, when my daughter was about 10 years old, I was in the car driving her and I reached back and handed her some M&M's. "Ah, the nourishment!" said my daughter. How could I NOT but be inspired ?!
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W H E N I W A S N' T S U R E I F I C O U L D M A K E A N O T H E R H E A R T
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Internal crisis reared its ugly head again, in 2008, when I stumbled upon a brochure for a workshop on how to make and complete a mosaic heart in
just two days of a weekend workshop. Why in the world was I doing this? Should I ever make another heart again? Once again, the making became
its own best therapy and I made "My Swan Song (Perhaps)". After I made this piece, my existential quandary was averted and I continued onward.
I think it was a combination of the writing of "I just can't do this anymore" over and over ad nauseam and those jigsaw blades that did the trick!
just two days of a weekend workshop. Why in the world was I doing this? Should I ever make another heart again? Once again, the making became
its own best therapy and I made "My Swan Song (Perhaps)". After I made this piece, my existential quandary was averted and I continued onward.
I think it was a combination of the writing of "I just can't do this anymore" over and over ad nauseam and those jigsaw blades that did the trick!