Collage/Mixed Media to 2008

: FOUR WINDOWS, collage. Four Windows represents four different perspectives , emphasizing the importance of seeing the world through the eyes of others, even our so-called enemies. This collage makes use of a traditional quilting pattern, alternating strips of lights and darks. Four separate squares were created and then combined into a single image. The different textures came from a Japanese design magazine.

: DISSENT IS PATRIOTIC, collage. This piece refers to President George W. Bush's Iraqi War and his suspension of the Bill of Rights, especially the Freedom of Speech, the right to a speedy trial by a jury of peers and the right to confront one's accusers. The raised fist and the youthful protesters, represented here also stand for the time our country was deeply divided over the war in Vietnam.

: PERCEPTIONS, mixed media. Perceptions implies different viewpoints, also the theme of Four Windows. Tolstoy in War and Peace, explained that history is a kind of fiction since the accuracy of the account depends upon who is telling it. This piece was constructed from rounded and angular pieces of colored cardboard and a piece of black ribbon. To this I added red leather strips, a small chunk of rope, an amorphous shape from an Asian newspaper and a black plastic hook.

: COMING HOME, collage. This is the final piece in a series of four about the Berlin Wall, but it actually represents all wars, past, present and future. One of its messages is that in war, there really are no winners. The physical and psychological scars left in their wake never fully disappear, not only for the generation that survived, but also for those that follow.

: AWAKENING, mixed media. An actual fragment from the Berlin Wall is here among shards of pottery.

: BUILD DOORS, NOT WALLS, mixed media. This is the first piece in a series of four about the Berlin Wall, but it actually represents all wars, past, present and future. One of its messages is that in war, there really are no winners. The physical and psychological scars left in their wake never fully disappear, not only for the generation that survived, but also for those that follow.

: COLORS OF PARADISE, mixed media. The title of this collage comes from an Iranian film about a blind boy who saw the colors of the wind as it passed through his fingers. The message is a familiar one. Antoine de Saint-Exubery wrote in Le Petit Prince that 'It is only with our hearts that we can truly see. What is essential is invisible to the eye.' My grandmother used to say, A heart feels a heart, meaning that we should also use the eyes of our hearts . Politically, I am sometimes called 'a bleeding heart liberal. My grandmother would be proud. This piece began simply with a painted background of blues, greens and reds. I found the colored birds and the greenery on a piece of old wallpaper. A slice from a dress pattern, added at the last minute, suggested an angel's wing.

: SANCTUARY, mixed media. Sanctuary speaks of being lost and alone, then finding the way home a literal and figurative journey all of us must undertake at certain points in our lives. Sometimes we find this home where we started from, as Dorothy did in the Wizard of Oz. Sometimes we make a new home in the loving arms of a partner. Sometimes we find home in a wise and spiritual space inside.

: PEACEABLE GARDEN, mixed media. The flock of cranes, a Japanese symbol for peace, and a child's teddy bear highlight this peaceful garden sheltered from the chaotic outside world. The images of the two statues came from cemetery brochures and the ornate antique comb, which I had to broke to lie flat, was a gift from a friend by way of her grandmother.

: CENTERS FOR HIGHER LEARNING, mixed media. Wisdom comes to us through many channels: through reading; through art; through university study; through the laboratory; through contemplation. The scientist at the microscope is my father; the Rutgers pin is from my alma mater.

: WHAT IF?...KATRINA, mixed media. What if? Katrina forewarns of the destruction of New Orleans by The Big One, the long predicted hurricane for which New Orleans was tragically unprepared. Throughout the piece are increasingly urgent warnings of the danger, juxtaposed with the Let the good times roll mentality of the famed Crescent City. Current media reports on the progress of repairs as well as preventive measures to avoid further devastation are shockingly lacking.

: DUELING GUITARS, collage. Dueling Guitars emerged from pieces of greens and oranges torn randomly from magazines without attention to the images. After the patches were assembled, a semi-coherent narrative evolved. The guitars and dog reminded me of Dueling Banjos, a song and a scene from the film, Deliverance.

: RETURN TO CAMELOT, collage/mixed media. This mixed media shadow box harkens back to the presidency of John F. Kennedy--that brief period before his assassination. For my generation who came of age after World War II, his election epitomized our hopes and dreams for a new America.

: DANCING WITH BEARS, mixed media. Central to Dancing With Bears is a chunk of roofing tile resembling a bear. The combination of a vine from cherry tomatoes, the magician's gloves and a red ribbon with gold fringes, suggested dancing bears in a circus and a delightful children's song of that name.

: INTO THE WILD BLUE YONDER, collage. David, my twin brother, is pictured here on a pony which represents a happy childhood preoccupied with cowboys and Indians, in stead of the paranoid schizophrenia he was to develop as a young adult. Despite his severe emotional difficulties, David was a much beloved if eccentric character in Biloxi and Gulfport, Mississippi, due to his engaging personality and the great patience and support from those special residents. He died in 1999 of heart failure.

: LOST BOYS, mixed media. Lost Boys, an early and central piece in my collection, began with a toy train conductor found on the grounds of Westboro State Hospital where a colleague and I were interviewing an adolescent boy. When I returned home, I found a magazine in my mail with the cover story, Lost Boys. Immediately, the title, the toy, and my two brothers, who both suffered from mental illness, became linked. To the train conductor, I added a toy pirate, some wilderness scenes evocative of Peter Pan and the image of a boy and girl walking out of the forest. The 2 photographs are actual family pictures. I'm the lone girl in the group picture at the top.