Inheritance (self-portrait with my grandmothers)
the photograph
A photograph from 1979 or '80 has tugged at me for years. Little me as a toddler, squirming between my two grandmothers, Lorraine and Mary Hughes, on a loveseat. I've sketched it, painted it in sketchbooks, thought about it often. It makes me laugh. It reminds me of my own kids at that age, uncomfortable in their own bodies, uncomfortable being held still.
What I love most is what it catches of each of them: Grandma's elegance and cooler demeanor, Mimi's squishy, laid-back love. Two very different women who always enjoyed each other's company. And me, caught between them, already trying to get somewhere else.
the materials
The three figures are constructed from needle-felted wool, hand- and machine-stitching, and repurposed materials. Skin and hair were colored through natural dyeing processes using black walnuts, hickory nuts, avocado pits, and lichens — materials that are themselves slow, cumulative, and derived from living things. The faces were shaped through additive and subtractive sculpting until they held the right expressions: Lorraine with a look of consternation, and Mimi with a look of amusement.
This artwork is made from a collection of things I've gathered: an old bag you'd use for groceries, some fabric that was used for upholstery and got a new life, cardboard boxes, plastic bags, old clothes and shoes, and a pillow that was used during pregnancy. What makes it even more special is that it includes some personal items - my grandmother Lorraine's old skirts and my mom's pantyhose. The wool on the outside holds everything together, but if you look underneath, you'll see that it's all based on things from home and from my family, which makes it really meaningful.
the process of constructing Inheritance
It took almost two months to finish Inheritance. The piece is pretty big, measuring 42 inches by 52 inches, and it sticks out from the wall about 7 to 8 inches. That's substantial enough to be a focal point in a room, rather than just something hanging on the wall.
Using the photograph as a reference point helped me stay true to my vision. I wasn't trying to create an exact replica, but rather capture the essence of what it conveyed - the physicality, the emotional tension, the affection, and the restless energy. I found that working with soft sculpture allowed me to tap into that essence in a way that painting had only gotten me close to. It was as if this medium was the key to unlocking the feelings and sensations that I wanted to express, and it ultimately brought me to where I needed to be.
Loveseat Construction
Starting the Needle-Felted Portrait
I built the sofa from cardboard and stuffing from an old pregnancy pillow.
While referencing the old photograh, I began building up the planes of the face. I originally thought this would be a much lower relief sculpture, but as I worked, it demanded more depth.
Many Layouts and Revisions
Sawing shoes in half
My living room was taken over by the pieces and materials in this soft sculpture while I tried out different patterns and color combinations, made sure proportions were working, and assessed the physical dimensions of the work.
I used a miter saw to cut two pairs of shoes in half-- and quickly realized there were large steel shanks inside! Sparks flew!