Porch
1983-2005

10’ x 12’ x 12’
wood, paint, rope, nails

Whatcom Museum, Bellingham, WA; Traver Sutton Gallery, Seattle, WA; Blackfish Galley, Portland, Ore.; University of Iowa; Concordia College, Moorhead, MN

Based on the porch of the Caryatids of Erechtheon on the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, six figures, each over 6' high are constructed of sticks, painted white with gesso. One of them is a study of the contraposto stance of the original Caryatids. The other five are loosely based on personifications of different goddesses or strong women from mythology. (Artemis, Leto, Aphrodite, Hippolyte, Daphne). These figures stand on a framework of 2" x 4"'s painted enamel red. Suspended from the ceiling is a tier of red boards and sticks to suggest the form and weight of the entablature the original caryatids bore.

This work pays homage to my grandmothers who, as most grandmothers, had a strong influence on me. It is also a response to the destruction of ancient monuments worldwide due to increasing environmental pollution.