4" X 13.5" X 12" bronze

image by Nash Baker

Wind Erosion —Like An Old Friend

Using hats as a sculptural material unearthed my artistic voice and shaped my first environmental narrative. Cradled in my youthful memory, hats blew in strange, wonderful ways, spinning from a generation marked by my respect to balancing present responsibilities and fears. My innocence escaped the realization that the consuming wind was not a natural occurrence; it was, in fact, the result of the perfect storms of the 1930s, the dirty '50s, the ‘70s, and the ‘80s dust bowls. Each storm inspired new government environmental policies and land management. By the time I was an adult, Dust Bowl events were no longer events. Their occurrence was familiar and expected. They were like an old friend.

4" X 13.5" X 12" bronze

12" x 10" X 24' bronze and reinforced concrete 2014

photo by Will Michels

12" X 10" X 24' bronze and reinforced concrete  detail 2014

photo by Will Michels

bronze

4" X 13.5" X 2.25"

photo by Nash Baker

4" X 8" X 11" bronze and concrete 2015

photos by Will Michele

If there is one thing the members of my family have in common it is that we love animals and we especially love our dogs.  My “happy dog” series was inspired by our six year old male labrador Goose.  Goose has a way of making you remember to enjoy the moment and appreciate what you have.  I have tried to relay this feeling of happiness in my “happy dog" sculptures and numerous drawings.

10" X 20" X 30" bronze and distressed gold leaf 2014

photo by Will Michels

SUFFRAGE - March 3, 1913

Riding aside historically represents oppression of women's rights. Suffragette Inez Milholland rode astride in the 1913 ride/march on Washington. Inez was not only protesting for the right to vote, own property, to sue, but to also to ride astride.

This is my first piece of work that addresses the women’s movement. It first resonated with me purely from an aesthetic point of view, as I knew the aged leather would reproduce beautifully in bronze. What I did not realize, however, was that this sculpture would represent more than a stereotypical Texas western symbol. In my women’s movement body of art it represents the strength of Victorian women and the beginning of the women’s movement, the March 3, 1913 suffrage parade in Washington.

suffrage

Torn billets - whisper tales

of antiquated sexual expectations.

A single iron slipper stirrup - weighs

of masculine oppression.

A lower pommel - lames

fashionable Victorian feminist.

The crackled and distressed girth - surrenders

the scars of suffrage rides.

Riding aside - symbol

of suffrage

detail

photo by Will Michels

4" X 13.5 X 12" bronze 2014

detail 

4" X 13.5" X 12" bronze 2013

Heritage – ( Robert Fleming Travis)

George Bush International Airport Permanent Collection 2014

One of my favorite treasures is the Stetson Open Road hat I inherited from my grandfather Bob-pa, Robert Fleming Travis. This well-worn hat quietly mirrors my grandfather’s life and character.  Shaped by growing up in the Depression, he knew hard times as he later farmed cotton and raised cattle in the harsh West Texas desert near El Paso.

Bob-pa married Imogene Young while they were still in high school. Two years later during their senior year my father was born.  Family lore has it that they never spent a night apart during their 70-year marriage.

As a teen I shaped hats in my father's western wear store, and I began to understand that old hats are reflections of their owners, that they keep a bit of the spirit of the person who wore them.  Bob-pa's hat still resonates with his determination, his strong work ethic, and his fidelity.  These are the very treasures that I work hard to ensure that my own children will inherit. 

12" X 11" X 9" bronze 2015

photo by Nash Baker

12" 11" X 9" bronze  detail 2015

photo by Nash Baker

14" X 12" X 12" bronze 2015

photo by Will Michels

14" X 12" X 12" bronze  detail 2015

photo by Will Michels

11" X 12" X 9" bronze 2014

2" X 4" X 6" 2014

photo by Will Michels

11 3/4" X 5 3/4" X 7"  bronze 2016

 '11 3/4" X 5 3/4" X 7" bronze 2016

 '11 3/4" X 5 3/4" X 7" bronze 2016

bronze and gold leaf 2016

My husband  grew up in Muenster Texas -  hence 3 little Muensters. Curtis and his little sisters we're caught on film in the early 60's trying to balance on their heads on the family sofa. The film has since been transferred to a DVD. Watching the DVD for the first time made us all laugh and inspired the initial concept of a sculpture of children standing on their heads. 

This sculpture is a composition of 3 young children attempting to balance on their heads. The piece captures the energy between the children and their connection to each other.  I took many years of ballet and gymnastics when I was younger and I found it interesting to see one person loose balance and then everyone loose their balance without anyone touching. The force or the energy between objects that you can't see is what these playful pieces capture. In my blog you can follow my creative process of these pieces under headstands. 

bronze and gold leaf 2016

9"W X 9.5"T X 7"D

photo by Will Michels

bronze and gold leaf 2016

7.5"W X 13"T X 4"D

photo by Will Michels

11"W X 10.5"T X 4"D bronze and gold leaf 2016

bronze sizes vary 2017

photo by Will Michels

Driving home from Austin, I was stuck in traffic and very stressed. My whole body was tense and I was gripping the steering wheel tightly. I looked up to see a giant billboard for one of the Hill Country lazy river family resorts. On the billboard was a stick with roasted marshmallows on it. Instantly, the tension melted away as I was overcome with happy memories. I thought, "Wow! That imagery is so powerful, it drastically changed my mental state. I have to share this."  Working on the pieces I felt a little silly, but the more I thought about my bronze sticks with marshmallows on them, the more I realized that the American leisure time tradition of roasting s’mores is a story not only worth sharing but worth telling: families and close friends gathered around a toasty campfire, roasting marshmallows on a stick, telling ghost stories, and making warm, sweet memories. The series presently consist of 11 sticks and 2 dozen single marshmallows.

bronze varies in size 

photo by Will Michels

bronze 

photo by Will Michels

bronze sizes varies 2017

photo by Will Michels

bronze

12” X 5.75” X 2.25”

photo by Nash Baker

At the end of every semester at Glassell, we clean out all the disheveled cabinets and drawers. We throw away broken tools and parts and reorganize the rest. A few years ago, while cleaning out the hammer and chisel drawer, I came across a worn-out sledgehammer. Through the worn garish red paint, the satiny steel skin of the mallet was unblemished; it had gotten better with age. Its handle, on the other hand, had not weathered as well. It resembled more of the rugged surface of old driftwood than a powerful hand tool. Its life had been extended several times with layers of duct tape that were now threadbare. I could only imagine over the years how many passionate sculptors had partnered with this handle and mallet to create their dreams; how many artists used it to mold their creations. I loved it for the history it held in the splintered grains of wood of its handle and the silent strength of its barely-red steel mallet. Its days of hard labor are over. I bought the school a shiny new blue and yellow sledgehammer with a rubber handle and took the old red maul home to rest. Uncertain of its exact future, it rested on my den coffee table for the better of a year. Guests always comment on what a cool tool it was. It sparked unsolicited stories of hard work, past labors, and stubborn relatives. This summer, I decided to make a mold of the old maul. Each casting will tell a different story. This first casting is “You Make Me Stronger,” an ode to great partnerships as in the one with the artist, the handle, and the mallet.

I create custom versions of You Make Me Stronger to celebrate strong relationships.

Commissioned piece.

Commissioned piece.

found object concrete and bronze 2014

17.5" X 19" X 11"

photo by Nash Baker

18" X 17.5' X 8" found object concrete and bronze 2014

photo by Nash Baker

5' x 4' x 2.5" bronze and reinforced concrete 2012

detail