exquisite corpse

This is my latest piece, done in collaboration with artists Claude-Aimee Villeneuve and Joanne Kielo. We are exhibiting at Galerie Ouest and our vernissage is tonight. The show is called Exquisite Corpse.

In the 1920's, the Surrealists developed a game that involved creating a collage of words or pictures. It was played with several people, each of whom wrote a phrase or drew an image on a sheet of paper, then folded it to conceal what they created and passed it on to the next person, who added their contribution. Only at the end of the game was the whole poem or creation revealed. The name Cadavre Exquis or Exquisite Corpse was taken from the first phrase that was generated by this game: "The exquisite corpse--shall drink--the young wine".

The concept of this show was similar. Three artists team up. Each artist chooses a section of the body and creates a piece independently of the other two collaborators. We then meet to reveal our pieces to one another and to connect our works to create a single piece.

My section of the torso was highly personal and reflects how I was feeling after the death of my father this summer. Scroll down for some detail shots.

and a few more reliquaries

spinal notes (2008), 7½” x 7½”, cast paper, silver wire

spinal notes (detail)

waiting... (2009), 4½” x 4½”, cast paper, beeswax, glass

waiting... (detail)

resolve (2009), 4½” x 4½”, cast paper, ptarmigan feathers, shale fragment

resolve (detail)

more reliquaries...

despite harm (2009), 4½” x 4½”, cast paper, washi, silver, tangerine tree thorn, ink

despite harm (detail)


thwarted (2008), 7½” x 7½”, cast paper, beech seed pods, waxed linen cord

thwarted (detail)

seeking tenderness (2008), 4½” x 4½”, cast paper, silver, washi

seeking tenderness (detail)

reliquaries new and old

I participated in a local studio tour this past weekend and made a few new reliquary pieces. I thought I'd show them here over the next few days with some of my older pieces.

shout (2009), 7½” x 7½”, cast paper, plaster bandage, ink, thread

shout (detail)

tenuous abundance (2007), 7½” x 7½”, cast paper, thread

tenuous abundance (detail)

contained no more (2008), 4½” x 4½”, cast paper

contained no more (detail)

backtracking 8/8: sticks and stones

And finally, the reason for our trip. The Sticks and Stones exhibition!

Welcome to Ciel Gallery.

Seems as though I'm often the outsider looking in...

Ciel Gallery owner Pamela Pardue Goode and her charming father.

My Jerzy sitting back and observing the evening.

My work and the wonderful work of Susan Springer Anderson. Followed by some of my favourite pieces from the show...

Amber Zavada

Pamela Pardue Goode

Susan Springer Anderson

Ken Knowlton

Jeannette Brossart

Follow this link and go to page 70 to read an article in the April issue of Today's Charlotte Woman. I was pleased to see a photo of one of my pieces and a paragraph describing my influences and my work (taken from my website I guess).

sticks and stones

I am pleased to report that three of my pieces have been accepted for a show at Ciel Gallery in Charlotte, North Carolina! The show is called Sticks and Stones, featuring art created from natural elements, and runs from March 6th to May 1st. Apart from being included in the show, the exciting thing is that Jerzy and I are taking this opportunity to do a road trip, so I can attend the opening on March 6th. I've never been to North Carolina, so I'm really looking forward to the whole experience. It's about a two-day drive from here to there, and once we are there and I've delivered my pieces, we plan to explore the State a bit. So lots of driving! Below are my pieces...I consider them a triptych.

synapse 1

synapse 1 (detail)

synapse 2

synapse 2 (detail)

synapse 3

synapse 3 (detail)

sanguine yearning

Red Alert - Week 1 opens today. The vernissage (opening) will be the evening of Valentine's Day. I've called my piece sanguine yearning. Sanguine refers to blood but also to optimism and confidence. I will refrain from saying what the piece means to me. My hope is that it will evoke personal associations and emotional responses from those who view it.