3-D Multi Media Art
I have always known since the second grade that I wanted to become an artist. I loved to create. I began my art career as a self- taught award winning wood carver and that evolved into deciding to seek a liberal arts degree in Fine Arts and Art Education at Purdue University. Afterward, I taught Visual Arts to Elementary, Jr. High and High School students for 17 years until I developed a voice disorder. I loved teaching, but the disorder made it impossible to continue. So I retired and have been creating my own work ever since. Occasionally, I am still inspired to carve, however, creating this series of Multi-media artwork has become somewhat of an obsession. This use of multi-media enables me to capture the essence and beauty of nature's animals, plants, and birds far better than I ever could in woodcarving.
The production of each new sculpture creates a new challenge that requires a varying and unique mixture of media and techniques. I have experimented with many materials to find the best and most durable mediums possible for each piece. Each sculpture is carefully constructed with an armature made from recycled items like wood, metal, wire, foil, Styrofoam and cardboard. The finish layers are often my special formula air-dry clay and Acrylic infused cotton fiber. Glass is often used for the eyes. They are painted in Acrylics and the pieces are sealed with a clear coat. Some pieces include natural items like sand, rocks, and shells. Each creation begged me to explore something new in order to capture that particular subject's essence.
It is the process of creating that I find most fulfilling for in the process of creating I am swept away from all my earthly troubles. Even as my voice fails me as a result of Spasmodic Dysphonia, which often leaves me feeling alone and disconnected, I feel that each new creation in some way speaks for me and gives me purpose and keeps me connected. Each sculpture takes weeks or even months to create. Now that I have created them, it is my desire to share them with people who love nature as I do and in possessing them and viewing them can be swept away from their own earthly troubles.
More of my work can be found at the Chapel Gallery in Delphi, Indiana. I can also be found on Facebook.
