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Communiqué

17 1/2 X 29 Mixed Media: metal, paint, paper, plastic, wire, mica, tea, rice on wood. $425

The process of exchanging information is essential to the human experience. Signs, symbols and sounds are as necessary as verbal or written language in expressing ideas and establishing dialogue. Messages are sent and received conveying the meaning of art, stories, and actions. Our very world, from the stars to the "OM" sound of the universe tells us about life. Since humans first drew signs and symbols on cave walls, evolving into spoken and written language, we have sought newer, more efficient ways to communicate. The transmission of data can be accomplished through many channels and means. The fundamental fact is communication is the key to understanding the incomprehensible.

And Someday Your Prince Will Come.....

11 ½ X 14. Mixed Medium. $375

From earliest childhood little girls are taught to "be nice, be sweet, be good." Learning these lessons well will result in a "good girl" worthy of love. As in the enduring tales of Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty, women can hope for completion through a man. Cinderella was a downtrodden victim until rescued by the Prince. Sleeping Beauty was basically vegetable matter until wakened to life by her Prince. Both found identity through a man. The central image of this work is an old photo of the artist in her dolled up, docile youth. The image is reproduced 5 times, progressively lightening. Self-identity is washed out of girls until they become nearly invisible. The "toner" is provided by a relationship with a man, whereby she becomes fully developed. The overall coloring is pink and collage appliques convey feminine ideals. Patronizing phrases and cut words admonish and instruct. The acrylic paint is applied thickly over crumpled foil, reminiscent of cake frosting and domesticity. The frame is shop worn from an earlier era, embellished with metal findings. The collage cuts are Victorian, epitomizing the romantic era when women were supposedly content with subjugation. Our "enlightened" age has proven that history and the female paradigm, like fairy tales, are not necessarily true. Favorably reviewed in Art New England magazine.

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Eternal Diet

14" diameter. Acrylic, ink, metal on wood. $175

A corpulent beauty reclines on a checkered tablecloth, amidst the tools of her destruction. She seeks comfort and love through food. The endless cycle of compensation begins with feeling bad, eating to feel better, then feeling bad for eating. Food is emotive, a reward or punishment. Fat women are percieved as existing outside the normal range of feelings. The are asexual, denied femininity. Fat women accept this, using obesity to avoid emotions, hiding beneath layers of fat. In reality, the internal condition is exposed through external excess.

Legend: Fill the void with food until there is no room left inside for anything else.

Puzzling Together Peace

Mixed Medium: tin, fabric, cardboard, antique cigarette silks, acrylic paint. $175

Shown in the juried "Promise Peace" exhibit - a special exhibit commerating the Portsmouth Peace Treaty of 1905 between Russia and Japan. Also shown in the N.H. State House and toured Japan in 1996.

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True Believers

7x9 framed. acrylic, ink, on canvas. $175 SOLD

Shrouded females figures suggest tombstones in this gloomy memorial garden. Haunted eyes stare vacantly. The absence of mouths leave unspoken words that appear on the body. The women truly wanted to believe the abuse would stop. Many died for this belief. Words written on the body: "he said he was sorry. he said I asked for it. he said never again. he said he loves me. never tell. he cried. he said no. be good. he will change. just lie. no, daddy."

War Bonnets

Mixed medium: wood, metal. antique and vintage photos, paper, clay, acrylic paint, fabric, mica. $250

Women wear many hats.

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House Bound

7" square, 9" high. Mixed media: wood, acrylic, brick, wire, bird nest. $125

The proverbial white picket dence echoes cellbars, imprisoning those living within. The bird nest represents home, the nesting instict, built up over time with varied elements and much labor. The brick represents the hearth, the heart of the home. Natural elements are compressed and forced to endure heat, paralleling the spirit. The vestal figure of a woman is etched on the brick, representing the homemaker. The brick is softened by timeand external elements, as is the woman, yet strength remains. She is bound to the home. The reverse of the brick has a modern house shaped etched into it. The hardness of the brick and surrounding materials is softened by the cradling comfort of the nest.

Mother/Daughter Dialogue

27" x 11" Mixed medium: recycled wood, acrylic, ink, metal. $125

The central figure of Mother reaches out to encompass her daughters. The bigger child looks up, enquiringly.

Largest daughter: "I asked her: Why didn't you tell me?"
Mother: "She answered: There are some things you're better off not knowing."
Smaller child: "I said: But why?"
Mother: "She said: Because it's always been that way."

Knowing her answers to be inadequate, the Mother's heart bleeds for her daughters. The questions, answers, and experience are universal.

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Daphne Said "No"

Mixed Medium: paper, wood, metal, acrylic, smoke, on panel. $125