A New Day Today

Well, here it is- my art blog. Welcome! First, let me say that I have focused on drawing for many years as a main medium for my expression. In college, I developed my style and technique for portraits using charcoal and pastel pencils. My portraits were mostly of other people I knew -with the exception of some commissions. It took me a while to realize that the portraits of these people were, in a way, actually self-portraits. My portraits forced me to examine myself through my perception of my subjects. Who were these people to me (both past and present)? What did I feel about them? Why did I feel that way? What does all this say about me and how I view myself? Etc., etc. All this culminated in a large self-portrait which I completed in 2005 (see above image). Now I'm feeling like branching out a bit and exploring other mediums as well as other sides of myself. Recently, I decided to revisit sculpture. I found a product called Paperclay, made from 100% recycled paper. It peaked my interest and I gave it a try. It turns out, that Paperclay works and feels like regular clay, except that you don't have to fire it. It's not as dense or heavy either, and yet you can sand it and paint it. My first sculpture with it is called Akua Li'i (Hawaiian for 'little god') and stands (or sits, if you will) about 3 and 1/4 inces tall.






The inspiration for this little fellow comes from my love of tikis and art objects (idols, fetishes, etc.) from other cultures. The completion of Akua Li'i gave me the confidence to pursue the exploration of this medium further, and I set out to sculpt a box that would hold a single black bear claw, that I could give as a gift to my sister. I decided that the shape of the box would be a bear and I took my inspiration from that of Zuni fetishes. A Zuni fetish is a small stone carving (made by Zuni Indians and usually no larger than several inches long) used for ceremonial purposes. Since my box was to hold a bear claw, it had to be larger than the traditional fetish size.


On one side, I painted moon and stars-



on the other, I painted the sun. I also painted a heartline (red), which can be seen on both sides. The heartline represents the path to the animal's heart as well as the path its breath travels.




On the top, I painted phosphenes- which represent a gateway to higher consciousness. All images were inspired by pictographs I had found while researching symbols I hoped would be respectful and honest to my project.

The inside of the box is lined with crushed red velvet and trimmed in leather. The underside of the lid is painted to depict outer space and represents the universe within oneself. As with working with any new and unfamiliar medium or process, I had to learn as I went- and trust my intuition. Overall, I'm satisfied with the outcome of this piece and I plan on making more animal fetish boxes.