DATADIG
2023 ~ 73.5 x 68.5 x 4 cm
Discarded ethernet cable wires, metal bits from discarded hard drives, old shovel handle, acrylic paint.
My anxiety about what happens to personal data we put online, to who knows whom, is only growing. Data is now an extremely valuable asset ☹. I found this old shovel at an abandoned camp on a canoe trip; bet it had no idea where it would end up…lol
MOTHEREARTH RECLAIMING MOTHERBOARDS
2023 ~ 56 x 56 x 7 cm ~ For sale on the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair website
Motherboards from discarded electronic devices, ethernet cable wires, reclaimed wood, screws, acrylic paint.
Nature will prevail and eventually our garbage dumps will be grown over with plants! Maybe a long time in the future, and who knows what plants will have evolved to deal with our waste.
WIRE BLANKIE
2023 ~ 65 x 65 x 2 cm ~ SOLD
Repurposed ethernet cable wires, wooden rod, acrylic paint
Following in my grandmother’s footsteps, I made this granny square piece, but with wire. It seems fitting that quite a few squares were crocheted in hospitals (in ERs and a ward); comforting, but hard to work with wire!
DOWNSIZING IN TIME
2023 ~ 51 x 58.5 x 2.5 cm
Recycled SAS and ethernet cable wires, metal hard drive holders, broken watches, plastic spools, glass/metal/ceramic/wooden beads, metal bells and button forms, wooden rod with metal cable mesh sheathing.
All materials are recycled or have been in my art material stash for many years. Downsizing is very much on my mind as I age so using some of this stuff is a tiny step in the process. Now I have to commit to not acquiring more stuff!!! ☹😊
REMEMBER WHEN…
2023 ~ 41 x 38 x 12 cm ~ For sale on the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair website
Discarded computer cable wires, assorted tiny objects, upcycled wood, acrylic paint.
This is a reworking of an older piece, celebrating seniors and our memories in a youth-crazed culture. The small objects are glued to a wooden plate; it could be replaced with your own memory triggers.
HAVE FAITH
2023 ~ 40 x 51 x 5 cm ~ For sale on the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair website
Copper bits and motherboards from discarded computers/hard drives/electronic devices, recycled wood, screws, acrylic paint.
This is my electronic cathedral, representing our faith and trust in the internet and all things electronic.
RETREATING
2023 ~ 56 x 56 x 16.5 cm
Recycled ethernet cable wires, machine embroidered flowers, reused denim, polyester batting, recycled wood, acrylic paint.
Glaciers melting and retreating……Flowers growing in new places further north with climate change. OR: Healing happening…..Pain and anxiety retreating. Flowers: from 1940 and 1950s sample books donated by a friend whose father worked in shmata (clothing) businesses and did jobbing of textile related stuff on the side.
HEALING KEYS
2023 ~ 56 x 56 x 4 cm
Piano keys harvested from a piano headed for the dump, recycled wood, screws, acrylic paint.
Music is a healing balm for my soul. I wonder who played on these keys long ago to produce what musical magic; I do know that it was last used during the pandemic in daily outdoor singing sessions in a Toronto neighbourhood…. Art making is also a healer for me. The colour palette represents art’s healing potential.
WE WILL NOT BE CAGED
2023 ~ 43 x 43 x 33 cm
Reused ethernet cable wires, burnt metal frame, reused wood, acrylic paint
Each wire represents a woman who is fighting to end violence against women. I found the wire cage after it had been burned with a pile of scrap wood; looks like it was a hanging flower basket in a previous life.
FINDING MY HAPPY PLACE
2023 ~ 28 x 56 x 8 cm ~ For sale on the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair website
Wires from discarded computer cables, recycled wood, acrylic paint
A reworking of an older piece; I am recycling my art pieces too :) The flower eyes represent one of my happy places: being in nature. I particularly love learning about, identifying and understanding flowers, and am always on the lookout for lifers (seen for the first time). I identified these flowers as Wirus electronica!! I need to maintain some sense of humour as the planet burns and floods.
A RAINBOW COLLECTING MIRRORS
2023 ~ 42 x 42 x 13 cm ~ For Sale on the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair website
Discarded computer cable wires, mirrors, reclaimed wood, acrylic paint.
Recycle, reuse, redo, rework.... I am enjoying reworking older pieces: I added more mirrors on this one and rotated it 90 degrees. Then dreamed up a new title 😊
OMG #3
2023 ~ 36 x 33 x 10 cm
Wires from discarded ethernet cables, hard drive platters, recycled wood, acrylic paint
Shocked, alarmed, gobsmacked, surprised, excited by some of the things going on in the world, in our country, in our city, in our communities. Some horrifying, some fantastic.
CIRCUIT OVERLOAD
2023 ~ 42 x 42 x 10 cm ~ For Sale on the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair website
Discarded computer cable wires, electronics circuitry, upcycled wood, acrylic paint
A reworking of an older piece, recycling my art too! This speaks to overwhelm from all the digital stuff in my life...and yours?? Devices, apps, social media, AI. I grew up without all this and definitely struggle to learn and keep up. Times change, I know, but at what cost…
MY MOM SAID….EAT YOUR GREENS!
2023 ~ 40 x 40 x 5 cm
Motherboards and other bits from discarded electronic devices, ethernet cable wires, reclaimed wood, plastic cutlery, screws, acrylic paint.
What to do when your kid won’t eat greens? Make art about it 😊
RAINBOW HAIR DAY
2023 ~ 80 x 62 x 8 cm
Recycled computer cable wires, reclaimed wood, acrylic paint.
Celebrating Pride! And I love rainbows; they always pick up my mood, so here’s to hope and healing through colour and light.
SIMPLE CHOICE
2023 ~ 64.5 x 34.5 x 5 cm ~ For Sale on the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair website
Recycled computer cable wires, reclaimed wood, acrylic paint.
We live in a complex world with many competing interests, philosophies, and attitudes, leading to some difficult, often overwhelming, choices. How often do we face simple choices these days? Here's your chance! White-on-blue or blue-on-white?
EVEN MORE LOOSE ENDS IN HAIRY TIMES
2023 ~ 52 x 73.5 x 9 cm
Discarded ethernet cable wires, used Guatemalan huipil, upcycled wood, acrylic paint.
Things Guatemalan are dear to my heart. This huipil (women’s top) was found in a huge jumbled pile of used ones, in Guatemala. I acknowledge the artistry of the unknown weaver and am inspired by traditional Mayans’ sense of colour and design. The huipil is inside out to expose loose ends in the weaving, like loose ends in my life, and in many people’s lives during the pandemic.
LET IN SOME LIGHT
2023 ~ 40 x 40 x 5 cm
Upcycled CD's, discarded ethernet cable wires, reclaimed wood, acrylic paint.
Let music heal your soul! But note: CD’s are now going the way of the dodo birds. It’s hard to keep up with changing technology, but the other side of the coin: I’ll have plenty of raw material for years to come as stuff becomes outdated ☹😊