This is an ongoing project that I started last year to see how I could discover, experiment with and document the different art materials that are currently in my studio. I used macro photography and painted with light to find a dramatic solution to transform what is usually considered a mundane material into an interesting photograph. Eventually I can see turning this into a book so I tend to see the different media as chapters. 
This chapter is primarily about yarn. Normally I use yarn to create three dimensional sculptures into colorful, sometimes fuzzy, objects. I started to play with little pieces of yarn and light to explore the textures and color. During this time I was taking an photography class at the International Center for Photography in NYC. The class was about memory as prompt and the teacher, Allen Frame, was wonderful. The small pieces of yarn soon developed into abstract figures. Then I brought in leftover pieces of steel from the welding studio. Making the figures sit allowed me to intensify the story line. The stories are often from my memories of growing up in a small town in CT.
  • On the Swing
    On the Swing
    I had a tree swing when I was a kid. It was both calming and exhilarating. It creaked as it swung and the ground dropped away pretty dramatically so that you felt like you were swinging over a great chasm.
  • Four No Trump
    Four No Trump
    My dad hosted a weekly bridge game. Mr. Rebillard, Mr. Bauman and Mr. Peacock were regulars who came every Tuesday to drink, smoke and play cutthroat bridge.
  • Wheelchair
    Wheelchair
    My dad had dementia at the end of his life. I spent a bit of time in his retirement center. He wheeled himself all over the place and took great pleasure in attending any and all special groups, especially if they had music.
  • Dwindling Congregation
    Dwindling Congregation
    My dad was the organist in our church and I spent a lot of time there as a kid. These days, churches in small towns in New England are struggling to fill their seats, not to mention finding ministers and funds for repairs. The steeple of our church is on the ground in the parking lot because there are not enough people in the church to donate money to repair it. While I am no longer a church goer, it still pains me to see my hometown church struggling.
  • Kaffeeklatch
    Kaffeeklatch
    I spent some time with a friend in my hometown last year sitting with her and talking. She and I have been through a lot over the years and sometimes our meetings are tinged with grief, worry or sickness, both mental and physical. This was one of those meetings that had none of the above and we were able to just be together and catch up on our lives.
  • Group Therapy
    Group Therapy
    I have a masters degree in dance/movement therapy. When I was practicing, (a lifetime ago) I spent a lot of time leading therapy groups. I enjoyed recreating some of the "personalities" I met for this piece.
  • Walking the Dog?
    Walking the Dog?
    I love dogs. I love that I could create a dog out of yarn.
  • On the Bus
    On the Bus
    That moment after you get on the bus when you have to figure out who you are going to sit next to.
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