New Artwork

This past summer 2013, I went to Junction, TX for grad school. I took a class in Artist Bookmaking with prof Future. Boy did I get SOOOO much more out of this then how to make a book. We had a writer visit our class for the first week and man did she not only inspire us but pushed us to dig down deep and really write about something that was in our soul. I, for the first time, really wrote down my story and then read it aloud to my classmates. I have to admit this was probably one of the hardest things I have ever done. I have told my story before but not like this and not with as many details as I shared. It seems like such a blur now, but incredibly healing. After reading this aloud, I tore up all everything I had written and glued them down to canvas. I then painted on top of the writings.

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this piece sat for quite a while before I added the words "My Story" and the chains. Once I started the next several pieces I came back to this one and added a few pieces of real chain like I have to all the others. 

While this piece was sitting I was also working on a box. A artist book. As I started this book I had an image in my head of what I wanted to create and how it would turn out. It was a pretty box, with a shamrock, for the day my son was born, March 17, 2008. As I thought I was finished I took it to Future who looked at it and pretty much said yea it's pretty but why don't you beat it up like you beat yourself up on the inside? Why don't you do to that box what you do to yourself? This took me by surprise. I have had teachers push me in the past before but more on technique or whatever. The way Future pushes me is to create from my soul, from my heart, from the pain and trauma I have been through. Below is the box that came from the beginning of how it was made through being pretty to how I treat myself on the inside. In the inside of the box, I have cards that are pretty and colorful to represent the good that comes from the bad. I write on the cards all the positive or funny things that have happened with me and my son and boyfriend, Nick. I want this to be something that is continued and ever changing and growing and being added to.