ACCURATE AMMUNITION

Mixed media on Rives BFK
Charcoal, brass, acrylic and wood
42 in. x  40 ft.

Gulf War
1990-1991

We ought to have the intelligence and sense of humanity to solve our problems of dispute without sending our children to kill each other.  The media which covered Desert Shield and Desert Storm prompted anxiety and followed by this drawing.  It was the first time in history that sounds and images of flying missiles and exploding bombs were projected live into our working and living spaces.  Sounds of chaos and terror and fear of what was to come penetrated the comfort of home.  It was alarming to learn further news of the potential drafting of young men like my two sons, into military service to physically enter this war.  My angst is recorded in this series of ammunition standing erect in the Arab desert.

Initial marks were made with explosive energy and my reaction to them was recorded in the marks which followed.  Content and emotion developed between me and the paper as I worked.   The bullets are beautiful, shiny, and aerodynamic standing tall in the flat, sandy desert landscape.  However, the elegant form of their exterior does not match the deadly interior which has one purpose only………to kill.

The scrolled drawing, ACCURATE ANMMUNITION, presented bullets, a perfect male image and traced it through its trajectory to the fear, noise, chaos and final distruction of the target.  The culmination was accomplished by the violent tracks of a circular sander and a torch.  Both the intensity and profundity of the problem required the extreme, large-scale format.

It was a protest piece and finally a house cleaning.

ACCURATE AMMUNITION is cradled in a coffin art-piece constructed of recycled materials from a military ammunition crate and is included with the scroll in the exhibition.

 ACCURATE AMMUNITION II:  Blood from the Mountains

Charcoal and conte’ on Rives BFK
42 in. x 72 in.

Enduring Freedom
2001 - 2014

War persisted in the middle east, this time in Afghanistan.  The arid, desert landscape was replaced by treacherous mountains to continue the fighting.  Once again, the media informed the world community about the war and specifically that women were being persecuted for working away from home or for attending school, not covering themselves entirely, walking unaccompanied by a male family member or for the sound of their shoes on the street. Many fled to the mountains taking their children and parents along to protect them, only to be discovered, hence Blood from the Mountains.

 SHELLS

The bullet encapsulates the energy, strength and image of the male gender.  Here the sea shell is more consciously and carefully handled to reveal beauty and a protective, womb-like image of the feminine.  The aggressive, phallic form of the bullet (shell) contrasts with the sheltering, female shape of the sea shell.  The hard exterior provides protection, concealing a hiding place to preserve the life held within.  Varied in color and shape, even the smallest possess the beauty and attraction of the feminine.  The truth is that men also protect and women are strong fighters.  This work is not meant to be an exclusive depiction but a visual description of emotional states of mind during war.