Let's all get naked, for the hell of it.

Ah, nudity. The eternal double edged sword. Nudity = sex. Right? To be nude is to be sinful, sexual, risque, pornographic, lustful, whorish, hedonistic, bold, seductive, etc. To be a nude women comes with it's own baggage. Nudity is a strange beast. Models, celebrities and the like appear nude or with hands or hair at just the right angle to hide the really naughty parts. Our media is flooded with images of actors and actresses in highly sexualized poses, nude or otherwise. Give us hip shakes, pelvic thrusts, on-stage simulated dry-humping, but one breats during the Super Bowl and it's pandemonium. But try it yourself and forget it! Nudity seems to be reserved for the rich, famous and beautiful. People may enjoy paintings of nudes, proudly displayed in their living rooms for all to see, but the actual body still seems off limits. The human body has been generally the same for thousands of years, but, for some reason, the act of becoming nude, or revealing your own body is a big problem. "Do what you must, but for the love of God, keep your clothes on!"

Connections

What does it mean to be connected? Is it physical? Psychological? Can you have a disconnect to yourself? At times I feel disconnected with myself. Currently, I have experienced a connection to something inside of me that I haven't felt before. Maybe it is that part of me, the part we all have, that is connected to everything everywhere. Maybe it is some kind of sister that lives only for me, inside me. My inner sister. The one I can communicate with who understands: my thoughts, my potentials, my flaws, my connection.

The Elemental Woman

The female archetype, comic book character, super heroine, goddess, saint- all of these are examples of the elemental woman: the very embodiment of the feminine. These are dangerous ideas because they speak of femininity without speaking of humanness. The idea of the female archetype separates the feminine from the human and results in the mythology of the female projected on the real woman. Binaries such as divine/profane, loving mother/terrible mother (Jung), human/goddess are part of that myth.

it's Elemental, my dear Watson...

I like thinking about the Elemental Woman. What is she like? What would she wear? What would her favorite drink be? Would she drive a Volkswagen Bus or a Caddilac? What's her favorite color and where did she emerge from? I'm thinking swamp.

where are your origins?

If I was to describe my origins, where would I begin? My mother's womb? My family's genetics? Human DNA? Or maybe I can link my origins to something more basic, and more universal. If I wanted to have a dialogue with two sunflowers would I look them in the face or bury myself between their origins?

I Have Something to Say

Looking at the peculiarities of the human condition I am able to create worlds that explore senses and memory, while conveying a child-like sensibility. One cannot fully understand themselves as individuals unless one realizes a relationship with the environment. The exploration of one's space can range from awe to the uncanny.

Recently, the body has become more important to my work.By working with my body, I can push myself beyond what is comfortable emotionally and physically, in order to access raw emotion, and internal content. My intent is to reveal stories and situations that are biographical in nature, but removed from reality. Feminine identity and humanity's connection to environment are investigated in this body of work.

In the "Picking Fights" series I argue with inanimate objects. These performances may or may not produce dialogue that leads to another work, however, the action is the basis for the piece. The process of making the work is the product.

Picking Fights: Round One

The cake got the best of me yesterday, but I am going allow time this morning for a rematch. I didn't dig deep enough so today I am not going to hold back. No more Mr. Nice Guy.

Listening for my Ancestors

The end is the beginning

With my time in Ireland over, I have two weeks here in Philadelphia to reflect and then react to everything I have seen/learned/experienced. I have learned so much about myself during the past month. I feel as if I pulled and squeezed everything out of me, but somehow I have to find more. Maybe I will reach a new depth, or maybe I will linger in this one for awhile. Some things I have been thinking about:

* Lipstick, gender, trust

* How to Bake a cake

* How to represent my own Deflowering

* The history of the female android

* Transplanted nervous system

* The real meaning of Aesthetic Theory- bullshit.

Self Portrait as a Tree (Daphne)

man, woman, human

Lately I am focusing on identity, femininity, and the human experience within the environment. Finding identity and redefining identity through your surroundings is driving my work. Planting yourself like a seed into new soil and waiting to see what grows. The feminine form in the landscape, and personification of woman as landscape is an idea that I have been working on in the studio. The female, like the landscape, lies in wait to be conquered by the male and his gaze.

open

I want to find a way. Find a way to what? A way to tell a story, a way to a different road, or a way to an open door. I want to be open, not closed. I want to make work that is not about a product. Instead, it can be about the production. The process is becoming more and more important as a way to dictate the final piece.

walk doc

Over the course of the days I have spent, I have walked.... A LOT! I have been documenting these walks by doing "20 pace pick ups." Every 20 steps, I pick something up. Whatever it is, I take it back to the studio and photograph the objects as a record of the journey.

total immersion

After reading about Richard Long, I have been thinking about my own work and what it means to record something-whether it be a walk or a meeting or an experience. I want to make records while I am here. I am currently recording myself interacting with the landscape on a physical level, in order to talk about interaction on a more symbolic, metaphorical and psychological plane. In addition to my walk records, I began to submerge, immerse or melt myself into the environment.

Chains, etc.

A chain, a link in the fence, two nerves meeting each other, or, maybe, two thoughts? A group of thoughts or a group of people? These ideas are behind the web I have created out of knotted wire. It began as a single cord, woven with knots so that it resembled a cluster of nerves. Once on the wall (and partly off of it), I attached deltas and roads.

My body turns into the land

We were asked to think of a six letter story to describe the work we wish to do in Ireland. This is my story and it deals with environment, physical and tactile experience and psychological reflection. My connection to the environment will influence the work I plan to do for the next four weeks. In our most recent reading it talks about "the human need to claim space by changing the environment." I am planning on claiming some space while I'm here, physically and mentally!

In a strange and beautiful land..

I have landed in Ireland with my fellow grad students today. The town we will be living in is completely magical and amazing. I plan to focus on my connection to the landscape and the environment as I begin to make work here. My first assignment is to create a six letter story that will inspire my work in the next week. More on this tomorrow.

Ireland list

Good idea Meg: here are the things I will be bringing to Ireland:

coffee filters

coffee

boots

walking shoes

grass seed

all of my jeans

all of my undies

all of my paint and brushes

lettuce seeds

a grow light

video camera

tripod

winter parka with goose down.

Ireland is just around the corner.

I have been spending the last few weeks getting my domestic life in order: cleaning the house, weeding and planting gardens, getting a haircut.. I have also been thinking a lot about last semester, and the things I have learned, researched and explored. Connections to my body, relationships with other people and personal stories were a focuses. Recently, I have been thinking about maps. Not necessarily earth maps, or location maps, but maps of the body and mind. Last month I was looking at imagery from Medieval medical illustrations. I thought about mapping my own body and how I would

approach it. I would like to find a paint color for the colors found on my body. I plan to collect paint card samples and match them to myself, creating a color body map of myself.