My Sculptures and Transformations

In this section you will find my sculptural works (besides those made from clay) as well as ordinary objects that I have transformed to have a different external appearance.

To see a larger view of each picture, click on its thumbnail.

Transformations

In 1995, my first year at U of M Ann Arbor, I took a course called Elements of Design from the Residential College.  My teacher was Mrs. Ann Savageau.  She truly inspired me when she assigned this first project which was to take a chicken egg and transform it so that the entire surface of the egg was covered with a new substance of our choice.  It was autumn and leaves were abundant, so I chose to cover mine with small bits of leaves.  It was more difficult than I thought because it took many layers to keep the white of the shell from peeking through.  

Leaf Egg, 1995

The previous egg transformation led me on my own journey to transform other objects.  Below is a clock that has buttons glued on its surface, the dial is turned upside down, and the face is a spiral of eyes cut from magazines.  There are other protrusions on the top of the clock but they didn't fit on the scanner and this clock did not photograph as well as it scanned.

Transformed clock, 1995

This cuckoo clock is covered entirely in natural objects like feathers, snail shells, wood, eggshells, beans, wasp nests, and cicada exoskeletons.  

Transformed cuckoo clock, 1996

Sculptures

The main structure of this planter was built with heavy screening.  It was then covered with plaster to provide additional support and to help secure larger objects.  The furry interior of the sculpture is hollow and invites the onlooker to explore inside.  Other interesting tactile experiences await on its exterior.  A living plant thrives in the planter on top.

Sculptural Planter, 1996

In my Design II class at U of M, we were asked to create a 5-sided object out of wood that exhibited both volume and tension.  Having had so much chemistry recently, I immediately thought of a tetrahedron with its top cut off.  I cut a hole to show volume inside.  At the top are a series of nails with string interlaced between them, representing tension.  Six feathers are attached to these strings, half hang inside and half outside.  The pyramid is made from two different types of wood that were first glued and clamped together.  The most difficult part was cutting the 60 degree angles to make the three sides fit together.  There was not a tool in the wood shop to do this, so I had to start with a 45 degree angle and use a belt-sander to remove small amounts until all three pieces fit.  A piece of sheet metal was inserted into grooves near the bottom before the sides were glued together.  This provides a mirror-like effect to further express the feeling of volume.

Wooden Pyramid, 1997

This sculpture was a gift to my mom.  I started with a yellow, flocked styrofoam head.  I covered parts of it with a self-drying clay and decorated it with 'jewels.'  The hair is made from a shimmering gold material that is tied and decorated with colorful feathers at the end.  Dried flowers create a headband.

Woman Head Sculpture, 2000

This sculpture takes up an entire living room wall and continues to grow.  The main structure is composed of vines that were coiled around and tied together.  Other additions such as dried flowers, three bird's nests, seed pods and bark provide colorful and textural accents.  Sadly, after 9 years on my wall, it became quite dusty and had to be dismantled.  Someday, perhaps I will create another.  In its place are my Abstract Love Trilogy watercolors.

Vine Wall Sculpture, 1997           Vine Wall Sculpture Close-ups, 2006

In the fall of 1996, I made this sculpture of a horse femur bone.  It was my first experience with plaster casting.  It was my first assignment in a sculpture class at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor.  I was required to observe a real horse femur bone and recreate it as best I could out of clay.  It was difficult because just when I thought I had something correct, the instructor would rotate the bone so we could see it from a different angle.  Suddenly, a whole bunch of details would be incorrect.  It took about 20 hours to complete this project.  Then it was cast in plaster, which is the final product you can see here.  I photographed it from several angles so that you can see how easily the bone can take on a new appearance simply by viewing it from a different perspective.

Horse Femur Bone Plaster Casting, 1996

I also created some unique Jack O' Lanterns over the years.  My carved pumpkins are pictured on my Halloween Page.

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