Things go in their own directions.

Merry Christmas everyone! Thanks to all of you who have been my customers and to those of you who read and look at my blogspot. I had big plans this holiday to do some quirky paintings of Santa Clause and elves but as you can see, those plans became memories of "something I was gonna do, once." For some reason, art for me has its own brain and loves to laugh at me when I "think" I know what I will make. So here's a little of what I've been doing. I'll have whole lot more after Christmas so don't go anywhere!

Le Karousel (16"X14" wood assemblage, acrylic, pencil, epoxy topcoat) The text in Le Karousel reads: " I was ever so clearly convinced that in the tide of the moment, I had chosen a joyous but rather strange day to take a trip on the merry-go-round. Though not for the faint of heart, I highly recommend it". (I'm sure you can figure this one out.)


A Munchkin in the Hot Seat (15"X13" acrylic, pencil, on wood)
Like most children, me and my twin sister grew up with a Wizard of Oz obsession. At the age of 3, we would go around singing, "we're off to see the lizard, the wonderful lizard of Oz!" We actually thought that the movie was called the Lizard of Oz. So this piece is sort of based on that misconception and the text reads: "You haven't been representing the lollipop guild very well and the Lizard of Oz is Pissed!"

Rollerblades Have Not Killed the Quad Star

I'm so excited to learn that one of my favorite childhood pastimes has not been gobbled up by the new sport of ankle-breaking rollerblading! Yes!, quad roller skating is alive and well on planet earth and there is a whole subculture of rollerskaters who bring a funky feel to it by mixing it with dancing and flashiness that we never got to see in the 80's. I just went to a roller rink last Sunday for the first time in 20 years. It was a breath of not so fresh air just like it used to be with its smell of socks, leather, stale pretzels, and sweaty carpet. Pure bliss, Ya'll. Pure bliss. As I rolled along it all started coming back to me and I never even had a spill. I can't wait to go back. I'm gonna learn to rollerskate again and I'm gonna bring it to the front where it belongs. Eat your heart out, Rollerblades!



Public Skate (side view of 12"x12" acrylic, pencil, on wood assemblage platform)

Public Skate (front view)

Public Skate (top view)

My Aunt Dorothy

Another character that will forever show up in my art is my late Aunt Dorothy. Her recent death inspired me to tell her story in a series of paintings that will take many years to finish. At an early age, she was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and she lived with my family on and off throughout my childhood and early teens. Looking back now, I believe she also suffered from Asberger's Syndrome which could have been in conjuction with her illness. She stayed on medication all her life to help treat syptoms and this is more than likely why I remember her as a happy and spunky eccentric who liked to sing and dance. Although her situation was a dark mystery and caused a bit of confusion in my young mind, she still remains a positive figure in my life who brought alot of joy and entertainment.


Aunt Dorothy #1 (24"x13" acrylic and pencil on wood assemblage with polyurethane)
This is the first of the series and illustrates my Aunt Dorothy the way I remember her the most. For years one of her favorite pastimes was to put a blanket over her head like a wedding viel and walk around the house while humming the Wedding March with much vigor and grandiosity. (Our friends really got a kick out of this). She would also tell us reverently about her own made up concept called a "wedding bag". We're still not very clear on what this was but she was sure to inform us that is was "no joke" and it was "very important". The text in the piece reads, "Thank you Aunt Dorothy, now you have your wedding bag."


Aunt Dorothy #2 (13"x12" acrylic and pencil on wood assemblage with polyurethane)

This one tells the classic Aunt Dorothy Christmas story. Me, my sister, and our cousins were eating dinner in the living room with Aunt Dorothy when a risque mood striked her and she started feeling....sexy? Right there in her sweat suit and knit cap with a pom-pom, she broke out into a provacative dance which included her thrusting her pelvis in the air. She was singing what sounded like a soulful and old school stripping song and for accents she would pull her shirt up and flash us her braless boobs. The more us kids howled with laughter, the more she ignored the adults politley asking her to refrain. It was a blasted hoot!

Let's Get Whacked!

Ding - Ding (15"x17" wood assemblage with epoxy topcoat)

As in, ding-ding! I think we have a winner! You know how a parrot in striped pajamas shows up for the party? This is about those "tarded" mental experiences. We'll just leave it at that.


Fragmented Memory of a Dream About a Tank Running Into A Science Fiction Theatre (22"x22" wooden assemblage , acrylic, pencil, and polyurethane)

All the text in this piece is my own rambling about something I just found out that puzzled me alot. To read it all go to Pixie's post.

(a close up of the previous piece)

Predators of Destruction (14"x13" wood assemblage)

This is one of my very favorites! I named it "Predators of Destruction" just to be ridiculous.

Bagpipes and Snails (37"x24" wooden assemblage with polyurethane)
It reads, "A beautiful musical chaos that sounds like snails in the air." That's what I think of when I hear bagpipes and bugle corps. As a former marching band nerd, I'm mesmerized to see these groups march in parades.

More to See

Duplication (29"x29" wooden assemblage with acrylic, pencil, and epoxy topcoat

For me this was about duplicating the same pattern over and over to show how there are still differences even when I'm trying to copy myself. In this piece I think the differences make itfun to study and the duplication make it flow.

Perpetual Motion (15"x8" wooden assemblage with epoxy topcoat)
This is about something I often ponder concerning the personality and its constant changes. Here I'm looking at the personality as a fluctuating and fragile state that is effected by seen and unseen forces.

Ready to Swallow a Circus?

I've been very busy in efforts to churn out some very colorful and fun art of all sizes and prices. Lately, I've been on a carnivalesque kick full of clowns and stripes. I'm finding that some people find intrigue in the creepiness of clowns and I'm doing my best to exploit that. I'll probally push my clown tangent for quite a while so stay tuned.
Also, I'm more than happy to answer any questions about my art. Selling and exposure is my main purpose for even having this blog. This is basically my website that I have control of on a daily basis without having to pay for it. This keeps my overhead down which, in turn, (drumroll...) Keeps prices down! I've always considered myself a budget friendly artist interested in sharing the warmth opposed to squeezing out the most money I possibly can. Thanks for your interest and believe me, there's so much more to come!


Variations on a Theme (23"X 21.5"wooden assemblage) . Be sure to get a close up of this one. You've Been Kidnapped by Clowns (8"X9 platform wooden assemblage)
My Very Own Twin Clowns Just Gave Birth to Me (7.5"x7" platform assemblage)
Here's a display of the group on my wall. And yes, they can be sold separatley.
and here's a side view of the platform assemblages. They're painted on all four sides.

Waiting for Amusement

This one gave me fits. But the outcome was worth it. I've always wondered how a muse maintains the stamina to inspire. That's what this is about. The text reads " who will muse the muse when the show must go on?". It's about the searching, scrambling, and chaos that goes on behind the curtains while the crowd is merely "waiting for amusement". This is pure candy.

Transition of Pocketcadabra

This is the very tedious cutting, sanding, and arranging of my thinly sliced people on a 5X31/2 sheet of plywood. This is the "fun" part awaiting me after I've spent long days painting and drawing them. Halfway through this process, all my mind kept saying was " God, this is wearing me out." But I kept on.
Now, the pieces are arranged and I get to experience the "magic" of wood glue. It took a solid hour to glue each piece down.
Here's the finished piece on my living room wall. This is only after an epoxy (liquid plastic, basically) coat is painstakenly applied and left to cure for 24 hours.

Now that's what I'm talkin about! It made its way from my living room to a prime spot at the Timothy Michael Gallery for an all Atlanta emerging female artists show.

My Living Room Gallery

"THE DAY THE LITTLE TWINS WERE GIVEN TO THE CLOWNS"
"PERMISSION TO BE HIDEOUS"

"GRAPPLING"
"THE MARCHING BAND AND WEDDING PLAN ACCORDIAN SHIP"

Candler Park Fall Fest

This weekend I participated in The Candler Park Fall Festival. Here is some of what I showed:

"JUST VISITING"
This chunk of eye candy went home with two adorable gay dads and their two daughters.

"FUN IN THE FENCE"
This little assemblage is still looking for a funky home.

This is one side of my set up.

"UNCLES IN ALCATRAZ"
Doesn't everybody have an uncle who's served a little time?

This is me with my people

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