Deviation ... Inside the Box and Out of the Button Jar

Sarah's Lament ______ 8 1/2" x 13 1/2"

Button, Button... ___________ 12"x12"

    Having spent the last few weeks mired in wax projects and gating, I took some time to jump off the beaten path and work with some 'old' materials on a couple of new pieces for 2 upcoming shows. The first piece I have titled 'Sarah's Lament ' , and is made in the style of an old fashioned shadow box. I was going through some boxes of miscellaneous small antiques & collectibles that I had stashed away in the cellar and came across a wooden utensil box, a sepia photo of a seated woman and a 'Let Us Have Peace' pin. The woman looked to be deep in thoughts that were far removed from the occasion of having her photograph taken. I called her Sarah. Then I proceeded to root through my collected treasures to find the elements of Sarah's life and dreams - the expected tokens of home and womanhood, along with an ink bottle with a picture of the Sphinx on it, two advertisements for railroad lines, a Swedish matchbox, a seashell, and a key... the hints of a road not taken.

     The second piece was inspired by a canning jar full of buttons that had been accumulated over the years by my mother and then added to by me. I needed a piece for the Scholarship Fundraiser  'Art in the Square' at the BRAF Gallery in Boothbay Harbor. All of the work was supposed to be done on a 12"x12" canvas so, as a sculptor, I had to get a bit creative. The buttons had been begging to be utilized in some way for a long time and this seemed to be the perfect opportunity. My original intention was to spray the canvas and buttons with the same textured paint that I used on the 'Memories of the Lost'  boat (see 8/15/12 blog entry) but, as I attached the buttons, I decided that the colors of the buttons and the way they were distributed would give the piece greater depth and movement. It resulted in a virtual galaxy of buttons.