The Guardian SeriesBodhisattva: Guardian of Darkness
Media: Mixed Media Assemblage Date: 2009 Dimensions: 31" high, 20" wide, 13 1/2" deep Buddha head, samovar, candle holder, casserole lid, crocheted and knotted fabric, beads, bells, glass eggs, raven form, glass eye bead, wooden snack, stone. This Bodhisattva is both a teacher and guardian of the comforting darkness. He holds symbols of the night: the star and moon, the snake as transformation, the raven as trickster, and the all-seeing eye. He wears of cloak of blue and purple that protects and holds the eggs that need to gestate in the darkness to be able to hatch into life. He reminds me that there always need to be fallow times but sometimes he keeps me too tight in the darkness so that the warmth and comfort create a space too safe where nothing can be born. |
Blueing Angel:
Guardian of the Deep Down Blues Mixed Media Assemblage Date: 2013 Radiator spring, cast iron tree holder, various rusted objects and pieces of machinery, Crystal Blueing Bottle, sewing machine part, medal, old coin, doll head, faucets, ripped fabric. This Guardian is grounded in the blues, that place where you can get stuck. But there is hope expressed in the Guardian’s sweet face, the empty blueing bottle, the word “reversible” on the spindle. We can get through the hard times and be stronger on the other side of the blues. |
The Chalk Man, Guardian of Fear
Media: Mixed Media Assemblage Date: 2009 Dimensions: 20" high, 12" wide, 17 1/2" deep Scale, eagle wings, concrete head, hand belt buckle, glass egg, rusted bottle caps, buttons, beads, charms, crucifixes, holy medals, bells, safety pins, chains, fabric, Sterno holder. The Guardian of Fear holds a bright turquoise egg hostage loaded down with the minutia of life, rusted bottle caps, buttons, beads, charms, crucifixes, holy medals, fees, safety pins. He is the manager of fear, keeping his face partially hidden, both protecting me from fear and using it to fuel my creations. It is a dubious protection, weighed on a scale made in the city where I was born, guarded by fierce warriors that keep me worshiping its tenacity, taking careful measure of its weight in my life. |