Panels
Panels are a play between 3-dimensional forms, their articulated surfaces, real identifiable objects, and painted illustration. The materials I collect have histories that contribute to my themes. Spotted feathers I found on the sidewalk evolved into “Wind Dapple”, an ode to a woodpecker I no longer heard hammering on our Oak tree. “Astral Imunu” is my observation of neighborhood birds claiming their territory in the shared air. With each work, I construct the basic form, respond to what I see, add materials, and paint until there is a cohesive narrative.
The bases were rescued from the veneer walls of my home when we remodeled. Recycled materials include driftwood, acrylic paint, string, stuffed birds, and metal. Surfaces are painted in acrylic. Each: 16 in. x 16 in.
The New Guinea Imunu figures are in the Jolika Collection at the de Young Museum in San Francisco. The shaman goes on a spiritual quest to find a mangrove root that is the expression of the Imunu, a spirit being. His quest relates to my search for driftwood in my art-making process.