ABSTRACT
SCULPTURE:
WOOD MEETS STEEL

Sehen, means, to see, in German. Like most of my work, this piece was created intuitively. On the fly, one might say. Cutting steel rods with bolt cutters. Taking a look at what was taking shape, and feeling out what was called for in the moment. The length and placement of each piece decided on the spot. Welding each rod in place, one by one. The outer arch: the protection and warmth of a parent. The orb in the center: the child. I secured the orb by welding thinner metal rods, and painted them a lighter color than the rest of the sculpture. In doing so, the orb appears to be floating, unsupported. However, upon closer inspection, you notice the support rods. Invisible threads that bond parent and child through life. A reminder that while they were forged from you, they are their own person, who will lead their own lives. I created this piece to represent us and our son. Now we have two, so I may need to create a new, updated version. Or a new one altogether.

There are progress shots of this piece on my instagram, including one where my oldest was only four years old. He helped me prep the orb for paint Click here to see.

Welded steel
5 x 1 x 8 ft
April 2017

Königin, is German, for queen. I’ve been nurturing a love for chess since the sixth grade. While I am no grand master, I do enjoy working on my game. This piece was created for the queen. Stacked pieces of poplar, not sculpted on a lathe. Instead: glued and stacked 3-5 pieces at a time, placed in a vice, then painstakingly sanded using an angle grinder. Repeating this until I had enough sections to achieve the height I wanted, and the shapes I desired. Once I had enough sections, finished on a disc sander, and some questionable “safe” positions on the spindle sander; until achieving its final form. I welded the collar, to give her a regal, Victorian era-inspired touch. The queen stands mighty, and guarded. For now…

Poplar and welded steel
18 × 18 × 24 in
April 2017

Königin, is German, for queen. I’ve been nurturing a love for chess since the sixth grade. While I am no grand master, I do enjoy working on my game. This piece was created for the queen. Stacked pieces of poplar, not sculpted on a lathe. Instead: glued and stacked 3-5 pieces at a time, placed in a vice, then painstakingly sanded using an angle grinder. Repeating this until I had enough sections to achieve the height I wanted, and the shapes I desired. Once I had enough sections, finished on a disc sander, and some questionable “safe” positions on the spindle sander; until achieving its final form. I welded the collar, to give her a regal, Victorian era-inspired touch. The queen stands mighty, and guarded. For now…

Poplar and welded steel
18 × 18 × 24 in
April 2017

Trust- is what this title means in German. One of the most crucial necessities when it comes to your person. I cut, stacked, sanded, and polished pieces of purpleheart, to create two distinct forms. Forms that together, stand… yet fall when apart. The world around them was welded intuitively. Creating a wave-like shape, that envelops without touching them. Half of it appears strong- resembling a solid sanctuary, yet the other half seems to be closing in- as if intent on crushing them. Two people together. A portrait of my husband and I, leaning on each other through the storms, and supporting each other through the sunshine.

Purpleheart and welded steel
13 × 12 × 17 in
March 2017

Trust- is what this title means in German. One of the most crucial necessities when it comes to your person. I cut, stacked, sanded, and polished pieces of purpleheart, to create two distinct forms. Forms that together, stand… yet fall when apart. The world around them was welded intuitively. Creating a wave-like shape, that envelops without touching them. Half of it appears strong- resembling a solid sanctuary, yet the other half seems to be closing in- as if intent on crushing them. Two people together. A portrait of my husband and I, leaning on each other through the storms, and supporting each other through the sunshine.

Purpleheart and welded steel
13 × 12 × 17 in
March 2017

In the military, we use the phonetic alphabet. Each letter is assigned a distinct word, to avoid any confusion during communication. November, represents N, and Bravo represents B. Therefore, the title of the piece is, NB, my abbreviation for Navy Boots. This piece started as a plank of basswood. Cut, glued, stacked, and sanded roughly, to resemble a Navy flighline boot- the very boots I had to wear during my time in service. Once I achieved the desired shape of boot- I cut it in half. I proceeded to continue to subtract from it, and sand it down to the shapes you see here. The shape on the left, is from the toe, the right, is the heel, going up to the achilles support. Sanding it smoothly, but not to perfection. Giving it a worn surface- a reminder of the things we’ve been through. Bringing this piece to life took me through the timeline of going from a civilian, to being shaped into a sailor. Starting as rough, blank material. Being torn down, to be built up. Cutting it was symbolic of severing myself from the Navy, at the end of my enlistment. Ultimately, transforming the familiar shape into something new, yet unrecognizable. Having lived a life that almost seems like a distant dream, and moving forward to my artistic roots.

Basswood
6 × 4 × 8 in
February 2017

Hai, means shark, in German, and yes, in Japanese. Sharks are my favorite animals; for too many reasons to list. However, their fins are considered a delicacy. They are caught, have their fins severed while alive, then thrown back in- to either drown or bleed out. In this piece, I sculpted the fin (which alone took 30 hours) out of pine. Painstakingly sanding it till smooth. Staining it in a way that mimics the reflection of the light, dancing in the water. Sealed to a smooth, wet-looking finish. The cage around it was the first sculpture that I actually had a sketch for, and eventually had to use as a blueprint. The day I welded it, I had a terrible allergic reaction, and needed Benadryl. Never having taken it, I was not prepared for the drowsiness that ensued. I remember thinking that I was in no state of mind to make any creative decisions, and chose to defer to the sketch that pre-drowsy Kena created. As I headed off to weld, I told one of my classmates to check on me if I wasn’t back in 30 minutes. Because let’s be honest… I wasn’t going to let a little drowsiness stop me. I will say- I slipped up. Mistakes were made. I took an angle grinder to the longest vertical rod, cutting it in half… only to regret it seconds later. I had to weld it back on, and grind it; attempting to make it as '“normal” as possible. Not the safest or smartest decision at the time, but it got the job done. But I digress… The cage- I created for the fin. One solitary fin, protected. Ironically, in the same structure that humans use to protect themselves from sharks, when they willingly enter their realm.

Click here, to see the instagram post that shows progr on this piece.
Press feature here

Stained pine and welded steel
22 × 10.5 × 22 in
December 2016

Love- is what Liebe means in German. The steel frame came first. Welding that intuitively, piece by piece. I then cut MDF panels to fit within a few faces of the frame . After surfacing those with Formica laminate, I secured them to appear as if they were floating. It’s my take on a Navy ship, representing my time in the Navy. Ironically enough- my husband and I are two sailors who never went to sea. While a Navy ship is a more complex form, this one is simplified. More closely resembling a paper boat that a child might create. Looking back on my time in the Navy, sailor Kena (not one of the Sailor Scouts) seemed like a child- playing with seriously expensive toys; F-18s were my babies. It is however, where I met my love- a fellow Aviation Machinist’s Mate, and now my husband of 13 years. So this one is for us. It lives in our home. A reminder of a crazy life once shared together, that now feels like a bizarre, faraway dream.

Click here for the instagram post showing more about it.

Awarded second place, by the Formica company, while on view at the “Floor Candy” exhibition.

Formica on MDF and welded steel
6 × 2 × 5 ft
November 2016

As most of my work goes, this was created intuitively. It started as an organic shape. Hand molded out of clay. It was then cut into ¼ inch slices. After laying and tracing each slice onto wooden boards, I stacked, glued, sanded, and waxed them. Also learning a valuable lesson along the way- don’t sand a sculpture in your dining room, no matter how cold it is outside. Ultimately, Shield is strong. Enduring the grit of the Dremel. Having gone through quite the process to, become what it is now . Like us, however- it started as a soft, pliable, defenseless organic object.

Basswood
4 × 3 × 4 in
November 2015

I designed this chair with pressure in mind. Pressure that is put on someone to purchase an extravagant diamond ring in order to prove their love for someone. In our society, the love you have for the one you propose to, is often measured by the size of the “rock” on the ring. The chair is painted and textured to resemble a rock, representing a diamond. The dots are “Tiffany Blue” to represent the countless individuals who are made to believe that they have to dole out a small fortune, if they truly love someone.

Awarded, “Best Story”, during Pimp My Chair exhibition

Paint on hand-built chair
16.5 × 17.5 × 31.5 in
October 2015

My take on a cozy campfire, abstracted and inverted. Created out of Bristol board, each “wooden log” was created to resemble logs that are stacked for a campfire. In the center- suspended tendrils, representing fiery flames. A cool, crisp counterpart, to a warm, cozy fire.

Bristol board and fishing line
22 × 22 × 28 in
September 2015

Because what else do you name a 3” drywall screw and hot glue dress? Created for the DAAP fashion show, which we had to walk (cue runway music). My dress was awarded, “Most Gravity-defying” by the judges, due to the movement of the screws as I walked, appearing to be levitating. Here, I’m standing with it at the 100+ 1 exhibition, for those whose pieces won an award. While it’s not the most comfortable article of clothing I have, it was quite interesting to construct. The goal was to use 100+ of one material, plus one sort of adhesive. As we waited to walk the runway, my hugs were rejected by others wearing balloon dresses. Still can’t figure why, and it haunts me to this day. While there were other individuals with screws or nails as their items, I was the only woman to use such material. Not sure what that says about me. Might be a bit screwed up, I guess. Although I needed to be glued into it to wear it, and ended up with scratches on my face and arms, I still have it. Do I wear it still? I can neither confirm nor deny.

Awarded, “Most Gravity-defying” during the 100+ 1 exhibition

3” drywall screws and hot glue
12 × 12 × 35 in
October 2015