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This sculpture is four feet high and about a foot across with three large sections that look like a three-layered wedding cake. The top layer has miniature ionic Greek columns decorating its exterior. The top of the piece has four caste doll hands and arms holding up a miniature bed. Under the bed is an out- thrusting crater that leads to the empty interior of the vessel. The surface is treated in white encaustic wax that has been engraved by my writing and filled with black oil paint. There are collaged moths that swirl throughout the words.
This piece pays homage to my anxieties and tendency towards insomnia. As long as I can remember I have fought the sleep devil and have always been prone to being a night person. The writing is a glimpse into my world and the things I think or worry about when I’m not able to sleep. I am also kept awake by my own ideas about art inspirations or awakened from a dream in the middle of the night, where I have to get up and sketch down the vision before it is lost into my subconscious mind.
The moths are included because they are frequently present in the lampshades at night. I lay and watch them flutter, consumed by their attraction to the light. The moth is a kind of morbid company; they dance and make shadows on the wall for my entertainment. I know that this dance will end in their eventual death and this is both beautiful and bothersome to me.
This piece created a challenge for me because originally it was going to have four tiers and be another foot taller. The second tier from the top broke in the kiln, which left me having to attach the top to the bottom two tiers. I didn’t want to do this because I wanted the piece to be able to break down to make it easier to transport, and it was too late for me to make another piece. So I glued and sanded it together and used the encaustic as the surface treatment on the whole piece. It is wonderful this way but really heavy for me to lift.
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