Current Exhibitions

Michigan Annual LI | Anton Art Center, Mt. Clemens, MI 1/27 - 2/24

21 January 2024

Michigan Annual LI at the Anton Art Center

So excited to announce that my "Eco Baby" made it into the Anton Art Center's Michigan Annual LI exhibition. A big thank you to juror, Meighen Jackson, for giving him another opportunity to spread his message of environmental responsibility. Opening reception is Saturday, January 27 from 2-4 PM. 

 

GEN 7 Sorrow


 The found poem I placed inside his pod necklace reads:

 

***

 

 ancient rocks

whispering

words of prayer

to awaken the

forgotten hope

that

destiny was

connected


***



02 December 2023

Think Small at Lawrence Street Gallery

This is the annual show at Ferndale's Lawrence Street Gallery. I have one of my artist's books included in the show, titled "Object of Life".

There is a Chinese mythology of a red thread of fate that connects people who will inevitably meet in their lifetimes. I liked the idea of this invisible connection but wanted to expand it to more than just the meeting of lovers or soulmates. Maybe there is the same connection to friends, acquaintances or even events in our lives. The red thread can be followed through the book, winding in and out of randomly chosen pieces of repurposed artwork. A life story emerges with found phrases helping to answer the question of the object of life. They read: 

Object of Life  

Always try to hope 

Flow of awakened flight, 

free from sorrow,

 deliver peace 

Grace under pressure 

Simplicity 

The recovery of gratitude 

is the happiness you find.

The book starts with the thread circling a house on a hill which represents a beginning. The next phase in life would be setting out from home and finding a place in the world. A feather is used a symbol of hope. The next couple of spreads represent growth in life, seeds of wisdom are planted and a leaf shape shows how the seeds have blossomed into a new life of purpose. Then comes flight, where life is in full swing and where busyness can overwhelm if not tempered with peace and finding a way to have grace under pressure. Slowing down and simplifying is the next step in life. Taking time to notice the small things. The dried leaf is representative of the details that go unnoticed until you stop and really look at all the fine lines in the veins. As life goes on, losses happen and loved ones leave us. The butterfly is a symbol of a soul in flight. The last spread shows a moon shell. I’ve always found the ocean to be a place of peace and joy. This is where gratitude for those pieces of nature can bring happiness. 

The show is on display now until 1/14/2024. All the artwork can be viewed and purchased online at  lawrencestreetgallery.com

05 November 2023

2023 Starkweather Arts Center Holiday Market

The holiday market opens at the Starkweather Arts Center in Romeo on Nov. 10. I have a few items for sale: Boho Bookmarks, Chakra Charms, Dreamcatchers, some new ornamaents made out of repurposed faux leather clothing and some new Sassafrasseee Gratitude Journals.

26 August 2023

62nd Thumb Area Artists' Exhibition at the Starkweather Arts Center

Thanks to juror Laurie Tennant who chose to include two of my pieces in the Thumb Area Artists' Exhibition at the Starkweather in Romeo. The first piece accepted is Gen 7 Sorrow (aka Eco Baby)

***UPDATE: GEN 7 Sorrow was awarded an Honorable Mention!***


GEN 7 Sorrow (aka Eco Baby)



And my second piece is the artist's book Time Is Up.

Time Is Up

Both pieces have an environmental theme. Eco Baby was created to help bring attention to how our present choices to either support or deny sustainability can impact the future generation’s environmental existence. A Native American concept that “urges the current generation of humans to live and work for the benefit of the seventh generation into the future” was the inspiration for this piece. How we consume natural resources and continue to put convenience over sustainability through all the plastics we use on a daily basis will affect the future’s environmental health. Eco Baby represents the seventh generation and depicts how they will have to carry the burden of our consumption and waste disposal choices on their backs. Time Is Up brings attention to the state of the health of the planet. A recently published climate impact study was warning that we are rapidly heading to irreversible tipping points. Using randomly found words from a vintage math book, I touched on some of the areas that would be devastating to lose in our environment. Profit and Loss: endangering our fresh water supplies and aquatic life with factory pollution and runoff. Reduction: clear cutting trees and loss through development of land for housing and commercial property. Cancellation: many species of plants, animals and insects are endangered through loss of habitat, chemicals and rising climate temperatures. Measures of Capacity: Over population taking a toll on resources. Compound Problems: Pesticides and lack of natural food sources are endangering bee pollinators and without the pollination, food production will suffer.