The nursery rhyme,
“The little old woman who lived in a shoe,”
was an inspiration for me for several years while my own daughter was very
young. I imagined “the little old woman’s” fatigued, strained love for her
too many children, her depleted energies trying to feed them all, and her anger
and
rage
at the relentless
responsibility. I longed for a cozy old shoe to sleep in. And I imagined the
children: frightened and mischievous, adventuresome and resilient, and hungry
for love.
I created approximately 20 sculptures of the kids and
one shoe, in varying sizes. These works are sculpted with clay, high-fired
and finished with acrylic paint. My favorite piece to sculpt was the old
woman, who transformed into a double-bunned, middle-aged woman wearing stripes
and contemplating her position in life.
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My most recent
sculptures are the “Grandma Action Figure” and the series of
heads I entitled “Friends.” These pieces are also sculpted
with clay and fired. However, instead of painting them with color to resolve
their
form I have tried to rely on their form only. It is a practice of restraint
for me to let them be finished without color, and rely only on light and
shadow.
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