Check out that odd shaped one at the bottom- I dug it out of the ground!
My whole life everything I’ve done has taken an artistic turn. During the pandemic I am getting time to do a lot of home domestic activities and I am discovering that I cannot help but turn them into a sculpture project in some way. This summer I landscaped, every day I cook, and this winter I am excavating our basement treasures. I get great enjoyment out of because I am using my same problem solving and creativity skills that I use when I make my art.
When I decided to put in a stairway on our back-yard hill, I went to YouTube for some guidance but I found nothing like what I planned to do. There was too much planning! Then I thought of when Josh and I hiked the Inca trail to Machu Picchu and how the Incas built the stairs from stones that fit into the contour of the mountain. So I channeled my “inner Inca” when I carved into the hill. I had a collection of “used” landscape stones and pavers so I started with them but to my great delight right away I found some perfect stones that were buried where I was digging. The landing at the bottom actually had a perfectly placed large flat rock that made me wonder if there had been a stairway there before. It was a fun challenge to make the stairs fit into the hill. Each stair is unique.
Then I decided to dig to the left of my stairs and put in a few terraces. It’s a good thing that I was working freeform because I hit a buried ancient foundation (well as ancient as anything in Minnesota can be. Probably about 120 years old, since our house was built in 1896). I channeled my inner archeologist and dug this foundation out and made it part of my terrace, discovering some interesting artifacts along the way, including a Minneapolis trolley token!
My sculptural pasta experiment. Don’t worry I only use this pasta machine for real pasta- I have a different one just for clay at my studio.
I also realized how much I love to cook things that are actually sculptural too. Of course I love to make anything involving dough- bread, tortillas, dumplings, and fresh pasta. The other day I thought I would try to make my own shell shaped pasta- it didn’t turn out very beautiful but it was a fun challenge and very tasty thanks to the amazing cheese we get at the Co-op. My sister recently sent me an Instagram link to Helen Nugent who is making very artistic sculptural food. Maybe by the end of the pandemic my own edible creations will become more picturesque.
When I’m not cooking I’m doing a lot more cleaning and organizing than usual. With no chances to collect interesting objects at antique stores as I travel I’ve been looking at objects I already own. My latest piece is a shadow box and a frame that I had kicking around my studio with lots of other found objects, including old jewelry my mom sent me when she cleaned out her closet.
I also ended up turning one of my old shoes into a sculpture titled “Results of Closet Cleaning during Quarantine.” I have a feeling there will be many more experimental pieces like these coming to life over the winter. And who knows how my sculpting in the yard and the kitchen will inspire my newest creations.
“Overloaded” has a lot to look at and discover, plus some empty spots that can still be filled.
I was just about to throw out this shoe when I thought, “no it needs to be a piece of art.”