My mother was always quick to point out the irony of gift shopping: you want to get a gift that pertains to the interests and expertise of the person in question, but any expert would already possess most useful things in their given field. In the unusual circumstance that they didn’t, it was unlikely that a gift giver would be able to select a truly useful gift without also being an expert oneself. Therefore, an alternate solution to the dilemma would be to give a gift or token that embodied the otherworldly or intangible qualities of the person or devotion in question.
I’m fascinated with the idea that a physical item can act as a trigger or icon to allude to a larger web of emotion, history, and circumstance. I notice these tokens in place across temporal, spatial, and cultural boundaries. Their incarnations range from the sacred to the ordinary: Eastern orthodox icons, voodoo dolls, pagan idols, and native American totem poles are more exotic examples, but there are also more subtle ones: hair lockets, friendship bracelets, the lucky tee shirt, a favorite recliner, wallet photos, baby shoes. Many times, these tokens incorporate materials and forms symbolic of and connected to the things they represent. But occasionally, just the unique and handmade nature of these items is enough to impart to them their magical status.
My art is a direct response to these spiritual tokens. I am exploring the hidden magics that tie material and form to spirit, time, and place- creating an allusion to things otherworldly. Each piece has a certain person, place, or circumstance in mind and is inextricably connected to it.
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