The Circle Squared
View this Collection

The circle and the square are universal shapes found in every culture since the beginning of time.  Together they appear in primitive sun worship rituals and in modern religion, in the mandalas drawn by Tibetan monks and in ground plans of modern cities.  The term "squaring the circle" was coined by medieval alchemists to represent a mathematical problem, symbolic of a spiritual quest.  Their goal was to create an ordered existence (the square) at whose center (the circle) was a sacred otherness.  In one sense, the alchemists were about the process of reconciling the opposites they saw in themselves and in their world.

Being an artist is a little like being an alchemist.  I am always trying to turn ordinary materials like paper and wax into something beautifully intriguing.  Having been a student of psychology and theology, I am likewise facinated by those areas of our human existence that are less tangible--psyche and spirit.

I have been working in a square format for a couple of years.  Most recently, the circle has begun to appear in my work. This current series is my effort to focus on what these two images are trying to tell me.

Grandma's Sewing Box
View this Collection

In my growing up I was surrounded by all things textile. My grandma was a seamstress who earned her living through creating perfect cloth cases for musical instruments or camping gear or widgets. My aunt, Sophie, made Shirley Temple dresses for me and my sisters with intricate details of buttons and lace. My great aunt, Cecilia, quilted huge downy spreads with tiny, even stitches and gave them to Church auctions where they fetched top prices. While I had the best teachers in the world, I never had the patience to ply needle and thread. 

Mixed Media
View this Collection