A gang of off-beat and occasionally dark  characters that do not often see the light of day . Carl Jung called them the "shadows" of our personality.  Therapist Connor Beaton says they are  an amalgam of  "of  all the disowned, painful parts of yourself that you have denied, rejected and repressed or suppressed over the years. " Normally hidden, they sometimes  arise in our lives at importune times as tricksters and saboteurs. Yet they can also bring vitality and wisdom to the party if clearly understood. 

This  series has taken on more layered and deeper personal meaning since it appeared five years ago. At first the characters were shambling, oxygen-exhausted wanderers, stumbling along into an unknown and perhaps, dark future.  As they have been painted, sketched, sculpted and role played,  their meaning and power have become more understandable and in some way, sympathetic.  

This is one stop along the way of a larger journey.

Excess Baggage

Cement  and found objects 

 15"x 11" x 12" h

Cost: $ 450.

Indoor only 

Mucho Muchachos

Formed cement and found objects. 

Size:  14"x 9" x 18" 

Cost: $450.

Indoor  only

Burden of Belief

Cement and found objects

Size: 14" x 14" x 10" (h)

Cost:  $400

Indoor only 

Whisper Sweet Nothings in My Ear

Cement and found objects 

Size : 12" x 12" x 16" (H)

Cost: 450.

Indoor only

Breaking Out

Cement,  and found objects 

Size: 10" x 12" x 12"  (h)

Cost: $450.

Indoor only

A Young Man Dreams

Cement and found objects 

Size: 14" x 10" x 14" (h) 

Cost: $450. 

Indoor only 

The Best We Can ...Tangled Mass

Cement and found objects

Size:  22" x 9" x 12" (h) 

Cost: $450. 

Indoor only 

To the Point

Cement and found objects

Size: 16"x 6 " x 10" (h)

Cost: $450.

Indoor Only

Its Complicated

Cement and found objects

Size: 22" x 9" x 12 " 

Cost: $450.

Indoor Only

We generally consider measuring devices -yardsticks, tape measures, rulers - as reliable and immutable. In fact they are often abitrary and fluid,  freighted with meaning of the dominant culture in which they exist. 

The same is  true when we reflect on what's important in our lives. What seemed vital  to us earlier can lose its lustre and be replaced by other values and priorities as we age. Sometimes we are urged/ forced to embark on a search for meaning that  is not easy or predictable.  Often it's easier  to ignore and stick to the status quo. Who likes change anyway?  

These sculptures  play with  the changing nature of what's important in our lives and how we face  it.  The tools are mostly obsolete now , found in flea markets , rather than in someone's hands. These "imperial measures" are firmly embedded in dark cement that seems to hold everything in place.  How do we take the next step and shake things up? It's not always clear and safe. 

Next Time, There's a Difference

Cement and found objects

Size: 9" x 9 " x 18" (h) 

Cost: $ 450. 

Indoors Only

As You Wish

Cement and found objects 

Size :  15" x 15"  x 18"  (h) 

Cost: $ 450.

Indoor Only 

Imperial Measure 

Cement and found objects

Size: 9" x 9" x 18" (h)

Cost:  $450. 

Indoor only 

 Got it Made

Cement  and found objects

Size: 20" x 20" x 20" (h)

Cost : $ 450.

Indoor only 

Recently when cleaning out my childhood home, I came across the furniture that I used to play on as a child. Now largely broken and water stained, its elegant design and construction still speaks to me.  This series is an effort to reclaim its beauty and meaning - in a word, "relevance" - in a new form. 

To see more in this series, contact the artist.