the dirt

These pieces were made for an installation piece in my senior exhibition in 1998. They were slip-cast from molds I had made of balloon forms and then fired in the salt chamber of the wood kiln to give them their toasty finish. They’ve affectionately been called ‘the bagels’. My parents have had these placed around in their yard and walkways for many years mixed in with the plants. When Super Storm Sandy hit the Jersey Shore a few years ago, my parents home was flooded and many things on their property washed away including these pieces. When the waters receded, debris was everywhere in their neighborhood, from garbage cans to jet skis to barbecues. As they began clean up and find things that were theirs, return things to others, slowly these ‘bagels’ were being returned to them from neighbors who recognized them. I believe that most were found and very few were damaged despite the churning waters they must of been spinning in. I’m always amazed at what ceramics can survive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For those of you who have been following my journey of taking sculptures from the Bone Series to the bottom of the ocean…here are the results: Atlantic Art Adventure | portfolio page. I’m so excited to share these with you! And here are a few shots of my husband and I setting the work up on the bottom. photo credit: Herb Segars

 

 

 

 

 

about the Bone Series | Atlantic:
The bone series sculptures are abstract interpretations of biological sea dwelling creatures that may have had fleshy fins or other appendages and these bone structures are all that remains. This In the Field installation involved taking six sculptures underwater and documenting them in this environment. The pieces were placed on and around a shipwreck named The Dykes off the New Jersey coastline. Using bones as a reference in my work alludes to concepts of decay and renewal, death and life, interior structures and exterior forms. The shipwrecks share the same references, their disintegrating structures become an artificial reef for new growth to thrive on.

You know how your parents keep everything that you make? From the noodle necklace to the funky ornaments they’ve got it boxed up somewhere. My parents are no exception to this rule, perhaps the only difference is that I ended up making a career out of creating, so its a little weird to see value put on the the quirky learning curve of high school and college art projects. Since I’ve been spending a few weeks at my parents house on the east coast this summer, I’ve started to notice just how much of my art my parents have around the house. Here are a few pieces (college friends might recognize some of these oldies!) circa 1997-1998. More to come, Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The saying goes ‘A bad day diving is better than a good day at work’, this day worked out to be a little of both.

We prepped, we planned, we thought we had all of our ducks in a row and then just about everything we didn’t plan for happened. Every diver had something go wrong at some point from failed gear to forgotten gear to seasick bellies but as a good team always does, we adapted, switched gears and carried on to make it a very successful day diving and working! Have I mentioned that I love my job?

Here are a few images from the deck of the boat to tease you as the underwater shots get processed -I promise you they are worth the wait! In the meantime, check out Herb Segars beautiful underwater photos HERE. Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
on the deck photos: Wes Dalzell

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Early tomorrow morning we meet at the boat, load the gear and head out to the Atlantic. The plan is to dive a wreck called The Dykes, an artificial reef off the Jersey Shore about 70′ down (yes there is good diving off the Jersey Shore!) and it’s where new work from my Bone Series will have its next photo shoot with photographer and friend Herb Segars.

In the beginning it seemed like a simple idea, just bring the work down, place it and photograph it but after lots of discussion with my crew (my husband Nate, my parents Beth & Wes and Herb’s wife Veronica) we realized that it was going to be a little more complicated getting us and fragile art to the bottom without breaking anything or putting ourselves in an unsafe situation. So today we devised a packing system for the art that will sink, protect the art, be easy to unpack and repack underwater while wearing thick gloves while remaining safe. This system includes lots of zip-ties, plastic tubs, rope and flexible cutting boards.

Wish us luck on this Atlantic Art Adventure!

Last week was the first time since I started posting that I hadn’t posted anything to The Dirt for a whole seven days. A week slipped by so quickly in the process of finishing classes, catching up with long lost friends, preparing for travels, upcoming shows and celebrating with family. I haven’t forgotten about you, I’ve just switched gears as I spend time with family and friends while the studio is closed for a few months.

I will be in touch with upcoming projects, events and inspiration from my travels and I look forward to sharing with you!