The Spirit of Community

This body of work reflects the awareness and power of strength in numbers. People have gathered together to express concern for issues that conflict with our communities’ beliefs and rights. There is a sharp sense of wanting to belong and to be proud of who we are, but also the need to embrace our differences and provide a safe environment in which we all can live. As reflections of these concerns, expressive figures, text, and symbolic houses have become integral parts of my work. Words weave in and out of my images, sometimes hardly recognizable, other times up front to be read loud and clear. My figures have stepped off the paper and onto the wall, speaking out, not specifically identified, but representing us all. My figures stand united and strong, embodying the depth of concern that is being felt around the world. The house structures might interact with figures or replace them. This shape can symbolize a safe place or an expression of one’s personal identity. These structures also represent people uniting together to become a strong community, a force that seems unbreakable. Yet, this community that appears so strong, can be broken and suffer turmoil within. The frenetic marks that emerge are conversations, are unrest, and are a passionate expression of a desire or belief. The audience will determine the meaning, which becomes individual and personal.