The Woman of Small Stature

This woman of small stature is shown with her architecture, an indication of her unique internal and external support systems. This woman has come to the realization that she’s not invincible and really not all that important in the grand scheme of things.

I believe it’s at this point in our evolution that we can begin to inhabit the corners of our selves. We can take risks and pursue non-goal-oriented interests. We can speak up and take stands because we have beliefs. We can stray because we know we have our architecture to rely on.

And we can dance nude by the light of the moon. But it’s always a good idea to wear shoes, preferably red ones.

Here's to Indomitable Spirits!

I’ve never thought of myself as a “blog” person but I’m glad I’ve become one. I like sharing my thoughts and having to synthesize them into a relatively coherent whole. I’m not a writer but it seems that this format affords the dabbler some latitude.

I visited the Workhouse jail in Lorton VA this past Saturday. There’s a tiny museum there, housed in one of the long brick buildings that make up the place. When I went in to learn some history, what struck me were the stories of the Suffragettes who picketed in front of the Whitehouse, in the early part of the nineteenth century. They were cited for blocking the sidewalks and thrown into the Lorton Workhouse for three days. Some of these women returned to Lorton many times. They went on hunger strikes, and when they refused to open their mouths to be force fed, rubber tubes would be shoved up into their noses and liquid siphoned through the tubes. An on-site diorama with manikins illustrates this form of torture.

All these women wanted to do was to vote. They wanted to be heard, and they wanted to participate in making decisions that deeply affected their socioeconomic, political, and personal lives. Giving the vote to women was a new idea in this country. What is it about change that scares some of us so much that we have to shut it down? If it’s different, it must be bad.

These women never gave up. Why not? What is it in us that can keep us going in spite of how hard it can get? The pieces I made called “Pushover” can be shoved and they’ll come right back up for more. I want to elaborate on this idea. It’s not simply a matter of coming back up. These women (and men!) started a movement. And of course the rest is history.

So…stay tuned!


Antisocial Behaviors

There's a certain titillation for me when I make work concerning bad or anti-social behaviors. It reminds me of a kid who's testing to see how close she can get her finger to the hot burner. I am, after all, a good, private-school-educated girl. Educated way beyond my intelligence, in fact. I was groomed to be a highly social individual, which isn't a bad thing, of course. But I believe I lost, or never found, something along the way. An edge, the propensity to speaking up, figuring out creative ways of being heard. As a teacher I'm aware of how the noisy opinion-staters get the attention while others hold back. 

The work addressing anti-social behaviors is an extension of the Bullying series I've been working on for a little over a year. I see so much bullying going on in the name of being heard. The loudest voice wins!  At this point, however, I believe that when it's quiet, and we're listening, we can truly be heard.

A story about my Mom, an artist

Art can be an always-and-forever thing. It's always there if you need it and it lasts forever if you want it to. On September 27, 2013, a speeding driver hit my mom's car, leaving her seriously brain damaged. She had 2 major brain surgeries, she lived, but she had to re-learn everything. She was a painter, large expressive landscapes. She couldn't walk, swallow, or remember anything about the accident. She did, however, remember her painting. She's frustrated and sad about not doing it anymore. We encourage her to try painting again but she believes they wouldn't begin to meet up with her expectations.

A friend brought her a small flowering plant. It had already started to wilt by the time Mom took out a felt tip pen and began drawing the plant. She's continuing to create the small drawings. The brain damage has left her with a tremor which affects the quality of her lines. I find these recent drawings to be her most daring and poignant work. 

Dirty Little Business Man

Okay, so…the Dirty Little Business Man is about 5” high, 4” wide, and 3” deep, he’s made of low-fire earthenware. Black acrylic paint was rubbed onto his surface to give him that dirty look. This character has been with me for a long time, always representing some form of Authority. When I was younger he was my Father, when I went away to college he was Anti-war, Anti-government, Anti-draft, Anti-republican…He appears periodically, at times like this, when there’s a serious distrust of big business, law enforcement, and government.

We’re at a boiling point. We’re shooting each other, we don’t trust each other, and we’re not listening to the so-called powerless ones among us. In some ways the DLBM represents both those with the power, and also those without. Nothing is simple. He’s wearing his power suit but his arms are permanently affixed to his sides, rendering him not only incapable of moving but also vulnerable to outside forces. There are, of course, decent, honest people in government, in the police force and in big business. And my apologies go out to the male species for representing this character as a man. As we know, our institutions of power need to include more women and people of color.

I see an endless number of Dirty Little Business Men installed onto walls everywhere. They can serve as reminders that a suit is just a suit. 

If you are interested in purchasing your very own dirty little business man click here to access my new shop!

Welcome to My Home

Hello Readers,

My purpose for starting a blog is to let you in on the stories behind the stories, the ones that inspire the "Dirty Little Business Man", "Pushover", and others. Let me start by introducing you to my home and basement studio.

Thanks for your interest,

Mia