Dancing Ladies Series

My Dancing Ladies series is one of my most favorite
 collections to create.
 I was inspired by the captured moment of a beautiful dancing woman as seen in paintings and photography.  The flow of the dress, curve of the hips and reach of the arms creates a stunning movement frozen in time.  Just as clay that once moved on the wheel is sealed in its position by the heat of the kiln.
Like a dance, every moment in our life is fleeting; therefore, I named many of these pieces after a moment in my own life I wish I could capture and save forever like the crystals frozen upon each surface. 

Each piece below tells their story.

"Refreshing Splash on a Hot Summer's Day"
17.5 x 10x 8 in.
​

Some of my best summer memories have been in the pool with family and friends.  

There is nothing like the exhilarating feeling on the skin like jumping into cold water after being out in the hot sun.  I’m also reminded of that feeling of success the first time I jumped off the 
super high dive—and lived.
​
 I really wanted to call this piece “Cannonball!” But that didn’t seem quite classy enough to match the beauty of this lady.

"Where the Pollywogs Play"
17.5 x 10.5 x 8.5 in.

I had the privilege of being a child in a small farm town in Idaho.  I got to live all the small town wonders children experienced when all we had to play with was our imaginations.  One of these was a spring day when my brother and I walked to the pond near our home to catch tadpoles with nothing but our bare hands.  I loved how their round bodies wiggled in my fingers.  We brought home a huge bucket of them and gently placed in an aquarium.

We watched them grow from just a head and a tail, to feet, to full grown frogs.  When all the wonder was experienced, we returned them back to their home.  No matter what the stage, we called them pollywogs.  It was our favorite word.

This experience with my brother I see in this piece.

"The Lady Weeps"
19 x 10 x 10 in.
SOLD

Not all moments in life are happy ones, yet still beautiful and part of who we are.  I was moved by a painting that depicted a woman trying to be strong and brave, yet a solitary tear ran down her cheek.  


It inspired me to want to create a sculpture that represented the quiet moments that others don’t see.  


With this piece I added extra glaze to the lower end of the top lip with the hopes of creating a drop to represent the beauty of a single tear.

​  It created a drip and gave this dancing lady her title.

"Lady of Spain"
16 x 9 x 9 in.

I lived in Spain many years ago.  While there I fell in love with the culture and traditions of the area.  Especially in the northern Basque country.  Every celebration was a whirl of color and history.  

Traveling to another country is like experiencing a new dance and feeling a different rhythm.​

This lady is a tribute to all those who shared their culture, food, and love with me.  
​
And for a time let me experience what it was like to be
​a Lady of Spain.

"Joshua Tree in Bloom"
16 x 10 x 8.5 in.

Winner 3nd place Joshua Tree National Park
​International Art Expo 2019
Moving to the desert when I was 12 after living in a green place where seasons changed was a shock for me.  I didn’t see the beauty at first. 

​ It wasn’t until the first time I saw the desert in bloom did I understand the secret treasure that lay here.  Especially when the Joshua Trees bloomed.  I had never seen anything like it.  My love for the desert grew after this experience.


This is a dancing lady that knows the desert is beautiful.

"Rosewater"
17 x 11.25 x 8.5 in.

My two greatest works of art are of my daughters.  To create a child, nurture her, and teach her is wonderful.  

What is beautiful, though, is when she begins to become her own person, create her own talents, discover her own interests, and begin to make her own mark on the world.  Daily I am in awe seeing them grow from little girls to the independent amazing women they are becoming.
​
This dancing lady represents each of my girls and how gracefully they are moving through life. 

Because of this, I asked them to name the piece.  

"Forever a Bride"
17 x 9 x 9.5 in.

The day I married my husband was one of the greatest days of my life.  To decide to share a life with another person forever is a day that should always be treasured.  Like any young bride, I was thrilled to find that perfect wedding dress and be a princess for a day. 
I was surrounded with family, friends, cake, and laughter.  Most important above all, being with my best friend.  
It’s a day I will never forget.

​
This piece I created as a reminder that even though the dress was only worn for a moment, all women are Forever a Bride.

"Mind Over Body"
18 x 11 x 8 in.
SOLD

 This piece is a very special Dancing Lady.
​
In January 2020 I found out that my sweet youngest daughter was struggling with anorexia.  This began a six month battle for her life against a disease I learned to call “E.D.”  (Short for Eating Disorder) During this time I wasn’t able to work often on my art and this was the only piece I completed.  My daughter was obviously on my mind throughout the process and when I pulled it out of the kiln in April, I immediately knew this dancing lady was her.  It had captured her story of struggle, despair, hope and victory upon it. 

Looking at the base of the piece, the darkness and clusters of crystals packed tightly together represent E.D. and his hold he had over her.  This was the day I brought Kaylee to the DMFC for evaluation and discovered how truly lost and in a dark place she was.  As the eyes travel up the piece, her journey to recovery it represented.  The crystals begin to fall off to the side and tumble away as clarity enters her mind again.  The colors lighten as if swimming to the surface of a dark, deep ocean.  The top represents her victory over ED.  Kaylee emerging with light and strength, she breaks free of his grasp, ready to embrace her life again.  

Upon completion I pondered on a title that would summarize this journey.  Only one phrase was truly fitting:
"Mind Over Body"

This piece is dedicated to three groups

 My daughter for not giving up and learning how to stop
​listening to stupid E.D.

All the girls and boys who suffer and fight as she has.  
You can break free!

And especially the incredible people who have dedicated their
lives to helping her find her way. 
​I will forever be grateful to you for saving her life.
This piece is on display and can be viewed at
Mind Over Body Eating Disorder Treatment Center
in Palm Desert, CA
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