Kachinas

Found objects prod a jump start to creativity! Scrap metal suggested my exploration of man and the machine. Man is a free spirit adjusting to fit the square box and machine. I recalled how the kachina, a Hopi Indian spirit figure, has an abstract, cubist form. That squared off form also expresses spiritual energy and power. Die cast metal becomes a mask, snout, and tail combined with clay. Both metal and clay are raku fired together giving an earthy connection. We go on with our life despite the things we can't help, large snouts, an ignored tail! In these kachinas, my love of Indian lore (my husband and I co-authored the book, Tongues and Totems), the power of black and white stripes (moral dilemmas, prison or clown garb), and spirit, earth, and metal, all come into play!

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