For Colleen
shadowbox with found garter, wedding tulle, glass dome, and mixed media embellishments
9″ x 11″ x 2″
2022
Colleen was the eldest of seven children. She was raised in a hard-working, hard-drinking working-class family. Colleen did not share the same father as her siblings, something he made certain she never forgot. Perhaps this chronic rejection is what laid the groundwork for a lifelong struggle with feelings of dark despair, sometime leading to self-harm. Colleen’s passion was for the written word. She devoured books and had a great talent for the pen. She loved humor and good conversation. Her personality was one of extremes, and her worldview included little middle ground. When invited by Colleen to dinner, one could expect a feast. She delighted in gift-giving (and getting) and friends were saints on Earth. Falling from grace in Colleen’s eyes was easy, however, and her reaction was equally extreme.
For Helen
shadowbox with found garter, wedding tulle, glass dome, and mixed media embellishments
7″ x 7″ x 2″
2022
Helen was a survivor who endured more than her share of hardship and loss. She had a pragmatic nature with little tolerance for self-pity or weakness. She was fiercely independent with an entrepreneurial spirit. For high school, she chose to attend her city trade school to study dressmaking, a practice she continued her entire life. Helen could be a prickly person. Her tongue was often sharp and her opinions rigid, yet she had a loyal nature which endeared her to friends and family. Although Helen was mistrustful of sentimentality, she let that slide aaway when the Christmas season arrived. Her home was warm with light and decoration. She prepared and shared baked goods in abundance and she used her needle skills to create beautiful gifts. Her face beamed when thanked for her generosity.
For Lillian
shadowbox with found garter, wedding tulle, glass dome, and mixed media embellishments
8 1/2″ x 8″ x 2″
2022
Lillian had a bohemian spirit and did not subscribe to presupposition. An artist and devotee of the natural world, she had a questioning and creative mind. For a living, she hand-tinted photographs for a prestigious photography studio. For her art practice, she painted lovely illustrations of local wild plants and flowers. On the wall beside her work space, she created a sunny springtime mural, a year-round garden scene that brought light and color to her days. She loved color. Lillian and two close friends found camaraderie over card games and deep discussions, oftentimes lasting long into the night. She delighted in inviting the neighborhood children to see her prized rock collection and to tutor them in the surrounding flora and fauna. She was an inspiration for young free thinkers, including her daughter who also found her vocation as an artist.
For Grace
shadowbox with found garter, wedding tulle, glass dome, and mixed media embellishments
7″ x 7″ x 2″
2022
Ever-composed and practical, Grace took all things in stride. She and her husband were a childless career couple at the height of the baby boom years. They enjoyed an unencumbered and comfortable lifestyle. They had a modest but well-appointed home, dined out, played golf, and were the only two-car family in the neighborhood. Grace had an air of quiet elegance, without pretension. She was genial and well-liked, yet a private person who tended not to entangle herself in the doings of others. A late “surprise” baby added a new wrinkle to Grace’s life. According to the conventions of the day, she would have been expected to give up her job and switch to homemaker status. In due time, however, Grace returned to work where she was valued and respected. She neatly folded motherhood into the life she preferred.
For Norma
shadowbox with found garter, wedding tulle, glass dome, and mixed media embellishments
10″ x 9″ x 2″
2022
Norma embraced the practice of joy and life celebration with her whole being. Even through the most difficult times, she met each day with gratitude. She had a deeply spiritual side that was not defined by religion. She never preached positivity- she simply exuded it. She listened without feeling the need to advise, the best kind of empathy. Raised in the hills of Tennessee, Norma felt a deep connection with her natural surroundings. Even after moving to the suburbs, she retained her feelings of kinship with her wild neighbors- the bluejays that kept watch for predators, the comical squirrels, even the shy black widow living inside the meter box.
For Anna
shadowbox with found garter, wedding tulle, glass dome, and mixed media embellishments
17″ x 10″ x 2″
2022
Anna came from a working-class background, but dreamed of a glamorous life. Bright lights and theatre were her aspiration. In her twenties, she gathered her courage and traveled to NYC, where she auditioned often and landed a few parts at small venues. As she approached her thirties, Anna took a hard look at her acting prospects and decided it was time to switch gears. She had no intention of returning to her old neighborhood, so she set her mind to finding a husband who could provide her with a life of means and comfort. She took a job as a receptionist in a hospital and set her sights on an ambitious young resident. They married within the year. She spoke of this with pride. Anna played her expected role well. She met each day perfectly coiffed and meticulously made-up. She navigated her days caring for home and family while wearing high heels. Never once did Anna voice dissatisfaction with her life. Negative feelings were numbed with wine and little pills. As time went on, Anna became a champion of justice and she raised her children with those values. She supported and acted in her local theatre and was an avid follower of world politics.
For Debbie
shadowbox with found garter, wedding tulle, glass dome, and mixed media embellishments
11″ x 14″ x 2″
2022
Uncomplicated and guileless, Debbie’s greatest ambition in life was to love and be loved. She delighted in simple joys and viewed others through the kindest lens. She carried herself with a gentle air. Laughter was her second language. Debbie became a mother at 17. Her infant son was the focus of her bountiful heart. He was her center, her well. Debbie’s beloved buy never saw his first birthday. He was lost to a patriarchal act of rage. Unspeakable grief shrouded her world. Time nudged her back to joining the stream of days. Life resumed…friends, family, work, play, and another child. Debbie retained her loving nature but the veil of heartache never left her. Her life was short, a mere 30 years, but in her wake she left behind the light of love.
For Sister Ellen
shadowbox with found garter, wedding tulle, glass dome, and mixed media embellishments
8″ x 12″ x 2″
2022
Sister Ellen was a nun from the Sisters of Mercy order. She was a brilliant woman with a scientific mind. Sister dedicated herself to the learning and teaching of life sciences. She had a thirst for knowledge and over the years earned numerous master’s degrees. During the 1970’s, she taught at an all-female Catholic high school. She had an uncanny ability to engage and excite young minds. Her passion for her subject matter inspired many young women to pursue higher education in the sciences- a male dominated field at the time. She was a kind and patient person who periodically took time away from education to serve in missionary work. As an early environmentalist, she spoke eloquently about taking stewardship for the well-being of our Earth. Her influence was profound.
For Ollie Jane
shadowbox with found garter, wedding tulle, glass dome, and mixed media embellishments
7″ x 8″ x 2″
2022
Ollie married and started her family in her later teen years. She went on to have eight children. She was a quiet, unassuming woman, rooted in a faith-based tradition that dictated strict and limited options for women. She grew up with material scarcity, as did her rural neighbors. They lived remote but rich lives, bonded to their families and the land around them. Her husband had an erratic disposition which at times made him an unreliable partner. The burden of providing sustenance and holding the family together often lay on Ollie’s shoulders. She was a brilliant gardener and could catch fish better than any other person. She knew the medicinal herbs in her surrounding woods and was a gifted healer. If asked, she would sing soft ballads in a fragile voice. Reading was her greatest indulgence. Ollie had a gentle temperament and rarely displayed anger. Her children turned to her for a feeling of safety and comfort well into their adult lives, as did her grandchildren.
For Tommasina
shadowbox with found garter, wedding tulle, glass dome, and mixed media embellishments
6″ x 10″ x 2″
2022
In the 1950’s, Tommasina (Tessy) entered an arranged marriage to a man she knew little of, rather than accept the status of “Old Maid.” Together, they had two sons. She performed the lion’s share of domestic duties and child-rearing while working full-time in the garment industry. Tessy took great pride in her home. Neo-classical furnishings and gilded decor were zealously protected with sheets of plastic and diligent care. In time, Tessy’s husband took a mistress. He refused to end the affair, telling his wife that a man needs both a wife and a lover. She chose not to leave the marriage, nor did she resign herself to humiliating acceptance. Rather, she banished her husband to separate quarters in the basement. Although she continued to wash his clothes and send down his meals, she refused to speak with him, communicating only through her sons. During this time, Tessy banked her earnings with a plan for her future in mind.