CONSIDER that having spent 50 years making art, that if I closely examined my work, I might uncover a proclivity to repeat MOTIFS. This show is presented to postulate this very hypothesis.

MOTIF definition:

1). Pattern

2). Theme

 INVESTIGATING drawers of archived images, I began by looking at the very first work I made in the early 1970’s. The UPSIDE-DOWN “U” portrayed as elephant and later as an upside-down clown character became the first MOTIF of the 8, I chose to include.

 ACTUALLY, there are many more not shown here. An example, the ladder which signifies climbing UPWARD, reaching the sky.

OR the depictions of horsemen and women in heels who risk all and seem a little overly BRAVE.

 I ELECTED to proceed in an orderly fashion following the STEPS outlined below:

 STEP 1.  MAKE a new work celebrating each of the 8 MOTIFS.

 STEP 2.  GATHER additional illustrations of this same THEME OR PATTERN from the last 50 years.

 STEP 3.  INVENT a dialogue to accompany and enhance the Gallery EXPERIENCE.

 STEP 4.  ENGAGE in an INQUIRY. What might have caused me to repeat   these motifs in the first place?

Upside down U- ZELDA

In the early 1970’s at Goddard College I created a large two-person elephant puppet for the TWO PENNY CIRCUS. How could a circus not have an elephant? This inspired depictions of “elephant” in greeting cards and beyond.

The Clown Man FLIP FLOP made his appearance shortly thereafter in card and logo form.

These MOTIFS persist to this day although they have taken on many other guises.

OFTEN characters in my work envision another reality inside a thought bubble held between outstretched arms (or in the case of MOUSE TALES  paws?)

OR the upside-down “U” becomes a portal for a WEDDING.

WHICH HAT OVER WHAT FENCE? Is a brilliant example of the MOTIF in a more recent version. (Shout out to Marc Chagall for inspiration.)

The invention of this SHOW is a good example of a HAT over a FENCE, for once DECLARED there was no turning back.

  Right-side U & Upside-down U – BOAT SONG

OF COURSE, MOTIF 1. had its limits and I discovered that I could muster more possibilities by adding a right-side U underneath. The union of these two shapes caused possibilities to increase ten-fold.

ENTER “boat or ark shape” illustrated splendidly by ARK & BOAT DREAMS & COVENANT. And, yes, initially they were all crowned with rainbows.

The theme of God’s biblical promise not to destroy the world prevailed. Was this an olive leaf that will aid us with climate change or world peace?

OVER TIME, the character CLOWN became more sophisticated as TWO BALLERINAS and then became simplified in a more recent rendition titled HEEL-TO-HEEL.  

BUT THEN this also became ordinary and new MOTIFS came knocking…

  Loops & CIRCLES

COMPLICATION INSUES….This part gets a little TRICKY.  LOOPS can show up in a number of ways:

  • ROUND BALLS as in RED NOSES, HOCUS POCUS & RISE ‘N SHINE or card logos.

OR…

  • SOLITARY FIGURES, Intro-verted OR Extra-verted. ILLUSTRATED in CIRCLES & INSIDE OUT.

OR…

  •  RING-AROUND-THE -ROSES otherwise known as people holding hands in a circle. Most often festive and celebratory. My favorite work in this genre is COMMUNICATE.

I was very impressed with MATISSE’s image of DANCE as a child and I know that inspired my work (specifically DIVERSITY). Matisse himself     made many versions of the same arrangement of bodies (mostly naked).

Symbols of Balance: see saws etc. – ALL IS WELL

DESPITE ALL EFFORTS, balance can be a hard GAME. In these works, I am constantly illustrating the precariousness of this enterprise.

 THE POSE painted in 1993 was the first to play with the subject and is a self-portrait of me with the plates on sticks attempting to keep them from crashing to the ground. (Single mom with three children!). It was also one of the first paintings in which I transitioned from block print, to paint, using a gouache resist method to mimic the action of cutting away negative spaces to create the composition of the work.

 LOOK NO HANDS has the scooter neither holding handle bars nor looking where she is going. Perhaps she is too busy holding up the man?

 ON THE MOVE certainly seems more in control as the character sweeps out the OLD moving into the NEW. This reflects a time in my life when I had jumped coasts, moving from California to Vermont.

 The little boy in KNOCKS YOUR SOX OFF is attempting balance on a moving dog in socks?

 ALL IS WELL portrays a character with more acceptance of the moving balls. One could almost believe she/he has mastered the GAME.

Boxes, Windows, Squares in Rows – MIX – UP

DIEBENKORN proposed that each of us is born into a landscape as a child and that original impression attracts us most. I spent ages 3-5 in New Rochelle, NY in a high-rise apartment building. Everywhere I looked there were square glass windows. Tall buildings continue to take my breath away.

THIS EXPLAINS WHY I am drawn to art that has a box theme. Paul Klee (shown here) is my favorite artist of this genre but Squeak Carwath is a close second. Not to forget Hundertwasser!

This MOTIF is to celebrate that attraction which I have utilized frequently over 50 years.

I cannot fail to shout out to THE TWO PENNY CIRCUS whose clown characters inhabit the windows in CLOWNS.  Lui, Lulu, Fabian and Tweet! This fabulous group of performers from the 1970’s provided inspiration for many images in my repertoire.

COLOR ME BARBARA (shown here) was a commissioned work for a Barbara Streisand fan. I used Andy Warhol as a muse.

TEAPARTY FOR ANGELS was sold 27 years ago and occupied the head of the bed until the passing of its owners. It has been returned to me for a second life and a new home. This painting was the title for my first show in Mendocino, CA. The theme was how complicated it is for women to raise children and also be dedicated artists.

I wrote this at the time:

Would not it be fine if all the women who gave so much could be gathered together in a heavenly place so they could don Angel costumes and laugh loudly and it could be named A Tea Party for Angels.

Top Hat Shape with Candles – Happy Day!

Of Course, we all know about parties & festive get-togethers, a reoccurring theme in all cultures around the world. Included in this occasion is almost always a sweet treat:  cakes, cupcake, ice-cream, etc. The center piece has a majestic presence to signify the event or occasion of the celebration.

 Both ICE CREAM & CHICKEN PARTY were hand spooned linoleum block prints made by CLOWN SOUP in 1976. We were a group of seven young people who met daily to produce this line of cards. We called ourselves CLOWN SOUP. The entire production was handmade: hand trimmed, glued & folded. One member titled and signed the work in pencil, packed it in boxes and sent it off to stores in far-away places. I created the designs.

Included here is SHARE painted in 2003 as part of a set of works honoring the Unitarian Universalists Covenant. This time the candelabra with candles (instead of CAKE) signifies the coming together. The weekly service always included a time to SHARE when members were encouraged to light a candle and share a joy or sorrow with the congregants.

CAKE? Was made more recently after I was diagnosed with gluten intolerance. Interesting how cake has now taken on the significance. DO NOT EAT THE CAKE!

A shout out to a world renown artist WAYNE THIEBAUD (shown here) who went to town on the cake and ice-cream cone theme for most of his illustrious career.

Push – Pull Dance – BE-BOB

FOR SURE my obsession with Dancers is TOPS.

This began in 1997 when I was asked to design a poster for Frankie Manning, the originator of the LINDY HOP. He travelled from NYC to fundraise for a little town called ELK and wild dancing became a theme that I returned to over & over for the next 25 years.

 DUET was the first dance couple and it shows clearly how my style evolved over time. Initially I called my Gouache and India Ink Resist painting technique WINDOW PAINTING because as I applied layers of paint, I left windows revealing the colors beneath. You can see clearly in the work I created in 2022 specifically for this show that I seldom do this now. HOWEVER, every painted surface continues to have at least three layers of paint.

LINDY HOP: A TIME TO SHINE was the opportunity to create most of the dance images you see here.

 In 2019 I was approached by a dancer and created three new works for her. I found I could google actual dancers and freeze the screen to see what the bodies were doing. The painting WEST COAST SWING was part of the set.

People in a Line with a Flag- CELEBRATE

OBVIOUSLY, I am taken with people marching, parading, walking together and any other linear way of showing solidarity & especially resistance. I left this as last because it is my FAVORITE.

BEST MOM is the family. My son is holding the flag, daughter on my back & second daughter not yet conceived.

HURRAH!  Was the name of the show I gave the town of ELK when I moved east. I wanted to celebrate all the best memories I had after spending 15 years there. This image depicted a parade performed by the children of the town including my own celebrating year 2000 – YEAR OF THE DRAGON.

The CAROLERS (shown here) was part of a set of works I designed for Liturgy Training Publications for their Advent Calendar. The L-O-N-G parade below was the record for longest done to date.

UPPITY WOMEN UNITE is last but not least. This enormous work lived in my parents’ living room until their death overseeing every family function. I drove to Texas and back during a pandemic to retrieve it. This also was painted for the TEAPARTY FOR ANGELS show 27 years ago.

AND, THAT is the END.