Insect Museum

The story behind this collection of bugs is multi-fold. When I became a mom, I spent many happy hours outside looking for bugs with my daughter. Taking the time to do this with her has taught me so much about what goes on in the microcosm of my backyard and neighborhood.  We have watched a ladybug develop through all of its stages from a worm-like entity to a partially developed nymph to a fully developed insect. I was inspired to make bugs. But bug legs, antennae, and appendages are thin and break easily if made out of clay. I decided to use found objects. While walking through the hardware store looking for inexpensive parts that spoke to me, I remembered the BOX in my garage at home.

There is a building in Pomona, CA that has been owned by my Dad’s side of the family for generations. Many iterations of businesses have resulted in a rather large collection of detritus gathered in the basement. When I became an artist, my father gifted me with a BOX of some of the more interesting parts of the collection. I realized that I could use these parts as insect appendages. It was a gold mine of skeleton keys, casters, coat hooks, curtain rings, furniture fixtures, and kitchen items. Most of the appendages for these bugs came from the BOX.  Others came from other boxes.

Various Art Statements/Descriptions

Menagerie

At one point, I acquired an Adirondack chair that needed some repair. I put in the time and effort to refurbish it, and then I sat down to realize that it needed a footrest. After some thought, I remembered this Chinese ceramic “pillow” that my parents have. It is in the shape of a crouching man. I realized that, like the pillow, I could make anthropomorphic footrests out of clay. The first animals in this collection that I call “Menagerie” functioned as footrests, then I decided that the footrest part was not important, and I simply enjoyed the experience of making large, whimsical animals. The titles of the animals reflect the playful qualities of these sculptures.

Raku Aspiration Bowls

ve learned that I must be spiritually centered in order to center the clay on the potter's wheel. If my mind is cluttered with extraneous thoughts, I cannot center the clay. Out of necessity, I have learned to breathe deeply and become spiritually and emotionally balanced before beginning my work.

The glaze-firing process used for these "tea" bowls is Raku, a way of firing clay that originated in Japan and was developed concurrently with the development of the Japanese tea ceremony. I am intrigued by this process because of its origins and because of its relationship to Zen spiritual beliefs. Specifically, one needs to accept the results of one's own work and not force it to be what it is not. Each bowl is unique and has a quality all its own.

I title each bowl.  Unless the bowl speaks to me otherwise, the titles are non-tangible aspirations of mine.  The following is a small sample of a list of titles from which I choose: sanity, intuition, resourcefulness, longevity, subtle, balance, beauty, solidity, dream, trust, enchantment, curiosity, surprise, open-mindedness, awaken, listen, patience, honesty, passion, integrity, serenity, thought, love, knowledge, giving, offering, strength, happiness, cherish, laugh, courage, etc.  I hold each bowl and read the list; the word that resonates with me becomes the title. 

Enjoy your bowl; it is unique. But please do not expose it to food or water. Doing so will cause the clay to disintegrate since Raku is a "low-fire" process.