Lessons in Exposé

Lessons in Exposé, BFA Solo Show

How is it that I can’t remember the moment I learned to walk or talk, but everyday I still do. Memory is fickle, but the lesson stuck. The knowledge gained from overcoming trials and tribulations never comes easy: most obstacles are unexpected and many epiphanies come too late. There is an unapologetic sting when life comes full circle to leave me facing the same mistake twice—so I have decided to make sure some of these lessons stick.

Don’t forget, my head said to my hands. They replied by making objects that never forget. These objects are tokens to remind me to pay others the respect they deserve, and that life, although sacred, is fragile. They remind me to always find meaning in life by the simple ability of being able to watch the ripples on the water’s surface.

I Saw the Ripples in the Water, and I Knew that Everything Would Be Okay, 2016White Stoneware, Porcelain, Wood Fired — I Saw the Ripples in the Water, and I Knew that Everything Would Be Okay, 2016
White Stoneware, Porcelain, Wood Fired

Mortality, 2016Sterling Silver, Fine Silver, Bronze, CitrineThe button is stuck. It cannot be pressed to stop the time, nor twisted to be reset. It simply keeps going unapologetically-it never tells how much time is actually left. — Mortality, 2016
Sterling Silver, Fine Silver, Bronze, Citrine
The button is stuck. It cannot be pressed to stop the time, nor twisted to be reset. It simply keeps going unapologetically-it never tells how much time is actually left.

Respect, 2016B Mix Porcelain (Wood Fired), Silver, Copper, BronzeSocieties of all paradigms have practiced rituals to deliver good souls safely into the afterlife: the Greeks placed coins over the deceased’s eyes; Shah Jahan built his wife the Taj M… — Respect, 2016
B Mix Porcelain (Wood Fired), Silver, Copper, Bronze
Societies of all paradigms have practiced rituals to deliver good souls safely into the afterlife: the Greeks placed coins over the deceased’s eyes; Shah Jahan built his wife the Taj Mahal. Sometimes, bodies are burned to release the soul’s physical connection to the universe. Other times, their remains are preserved and cherished in reliquaries. Mourning rituals are not necessarily for the souls who departed; they are for the people they leave behind. The peculiar thing is, I know that the ferryman, Charon, won’t take the coins, but my soul still feels like I am paying my friends’ way into the afterlife. I know that if I scribble tear soaked messages on a balloon, it won’t reach the heavens. The unusual thing is, in some ethereal way, I feel as if my message was received.

Honeybee reliquary #1 (Poison Kills) , 2014copper, Brass, Bronze, Glass, HoneybeeThe agricultural industry has impacted the population of a wide variety of insects. The decline in the honeybee population is perhaps the most worrisome. This piece exp… — Honeybee reliquary #1 (Poison Kills) , 2014
copper, Brass, Bronze, Glass, Honeybee
The agricultural industry has impacted the population of a wide variety of insects. The decline in the honeybee population is perhaps the most worrisome. This piece explores the life cycle of the bee through a conversation between metal, glass, and a found dead honeybee. This bee may have been an asset in creating life for many agricultural sites, but those same sites may have caused its death through the use of pesticides.

Honeybee Reliquary #2 (Poison Kills), 2015Copper, Brass, Glass, Honeybee — Honeybee Reliquary #2 (Poison Kills), 2015
Copper, Brass, Glass, Honeybee

Dragonfly Reliquary (Some Decisions are Final), 2016Copper, Brass, Glass, HoneybeeThe blue dragonfly’s last decision it ever made was to come into our house. It was clunky and out of character. We saw it come in, but never go out. — Dragonfly Reliquary (Some Decisions are Final), 2016
Copper, Brass, Glass, Honeybee
The blue dragonfly’s last decision it ever made was to come into our house. It was clunky and out of character. We saw it come in, but never go out.

Damselfly Reliquary (Home is Where the Water Is), 2016White Stoneware (Wood Fired), Copper, Glass, DamselflyThe damselfly and I are one in the sameWhat emerges from the waterHas a hard time leaving itSome, never doAnd most will come back soon — Damselfly Reliquary (Home is Where the Water Is), 2016
White Stoneware (Wood Fired), Copper, Glass, Damselfly
The damselfly and I are one in the same
What emerges from the water
Has a hard time leaving it
Some, never do
And most will come back soon

Last Words Pots, 2016Wood Fired White Stoneware, PaperIt never get’s easier-So what.I read your name along the edge of my coffee cupI see your footprints, your fingertipsIn my house-you haven’t leftAnd I didn’t want you toMy new experiences fail to … — Last Words Pots, 2016
Wood Fired White Stoneware, Paper
It never get’s easier-So what.
I read your name along the edge of my coffee cup
I see your footprints, your fingertips
In my house-you haven’t left
And I didn’t want you to
My new experiences fail to put you behind me
Even if it’s just the thought of drinking coffee with you
I can drop a note inside this vessel
You will take the time to read it
I’ll look for you in everything I do
Your soul has taken hold of a new vessel
I see it in the grass, the trees, the bees
I feel your presence in the sky and lakes
This jar stays
To remind me that you haven’t left
And I can still tell you all the words I need to say

Votive Protector, 2016White Stoneware, Copper, Steel — Votive Protector, 2016
White Stoneware, Copper, Steel

Fickle Memories, 2016Sterling Silver, Fine Silver, EnamelIt was summer time. The light glittered off the lake and back into our childish smiles. My sister and I were hunting bugs in my mother’s garden. My sister already had a bumblebee in her collec… — Fickle Memories, 2016
Sterling Silver, Fine Silver, Enamel
It was summer time. The light glittered off the lake and back into our childish smiles. My sister and I were hunting bugs in my mother’s garden. My sister already had a bumblebee in her collection, and I was determined to have one too. I had a small jar in my hand for collecting treasures when I saw it. I chased a big fuzzy bumblebee over to our back porch and slammed the jar over the bee.

In excitement I watched the bee dink from side to side on the walls of the jar. My sister came over and told me not to kill the bee. She told me she found hers dead. I lifted the jar and released the bee from its stuffy tomb. I hadn’t even contempla… — In excitement I watched the bee dink from side to side on the walls of the jar. My sister came over and told me not to kill the bee. She told me she found hers dead. I lifted the jar and released the bee from its stuffy tomb. I hadn’t even contemplated the idea of murder before then. Before that point in time, my life was only Disney princesses and kitty cats.
Looking back, it might not have happened exactly like that. Maybe it was actually my sister that captured the bee. It’s possible that she did suffocate it in the jar. I wish I could comb my brain over like hair so I could pluck out my memory and examine it. However, the specific details don’t matter. What does matter- is the fact that it was the first time the concept of murder had entered my realm of ethics. It was my first introduction into the sensitivity of a living thing.

Life Cycles Back To The Water, 2016White Stoneware, Wood Fired — Life Cycles Back To The Water, 2016
White Stoneware, Wood Fired