"Secrets"Last year, my nephew Joe who lives in Dallas, found this vintage Coke case at a garage sale. He bought it and sent it to me, with the idea that I 'could use it in my art work'. I loved the case, but I had to admit, it was a much larger format than I normally work in . . . so I cut it down. Oh what a mistake that was. . . only because these old wooden cases were made to exact measurements, and the slats only fit a certain way. . . . putting it back together was no easy task. (and it's not square)
The pieces of wood sat in my studio for months, and a few weeks ago, I got inspired . . . Recently, my next door neighbors (in their 90) found the need to move themselves into an assisted living facility. Soon their kids came and started 'cleaning' out the house, in preparation to sell. I saw, tons, (I mean tons) of stuff being thrown into a huge dumpster. (my favorite). I couldn't help myself, I asked permission to go through some of the stuff, of course they said yes. There were many things of interest to an assemblage artist like my self, but mostly, I loved the letters. There were hundreds of them. Hand written, vintage stamps, airmail envelopes, photographs, newspaper clips, christmas cards, easter cards, birthday cards. A real treasure trove. I started going through them and realized that here was "evidence of lives lived".
This piece, "Secrets" has little to do with secrets, but rather it has to do with the lives we all live. Happy, productive, sometimes sad, creative and giving. Most people live their lives quietly, not boisterous or tumultuous, or with a lot of fan-fare, but simply, with dignity and with content. Such were the lives in
these letters. . . . . This piece begins with the letters, a stack of them, cut precisely to fit inside the cubby hole. Other things include a book, crayons, the colors of the rainbow, a ceramic black baby eating a watermelon, a bird and a book titled "Secret Squadron". In the 2nd half there is an abacus, and wheels that spin. Followed by a world globe that hangs and twirls, a king frog sitting on a golden book, and some comfortable shoes. All very sweet.
