I am an Artist/I am a Gatherer

Detail- Gathering Basket- Sticks and Stones 

mixed media assemblage 

As our family experienced a unexpected personal tragedy last winter, I found myself changed in several ways and looking at many areas of life very differently. This affected me on every level and especially my creative life. My creativity quickly came to a standstill. A few months later when I decided that I needed to venture forth and stir up the creative waters , I found myself with all sorts of new attitudes-both helpful and unhelpful. I found that I was increasingly aware of all the “things” that filled my creative life. All the hundreds of items that I was carrying along with me. Not just paints,and brushes, but many many tools,papers, scissors, gluing equipment. All the vintage cardboard pieces, sheets of corrugated cardboard, ephemera, junk store “finds” etc etc. I actually got rid of many unused items. Then the thought came to me that an artist is truly a Gatherer. We gather tools, we gather inspiration and ideas, we gather paints, papers from around the world. We gather all our artwork, both finished and unfinished. So I have set out to do a series about myself as a Gatherer.

Gathering Basket-Sticks and Stones 

This first piece was created using an old cardboard candy basket that I found in the dark corner of a junk store. It seemed to scream out to me that it had more to say. Over several months the piece slowly changed from neglected bucket to a piece of art.