2011
Rebirth
Hardcover book, decorative bird, resin: mixed
media work.
Inspired by the writings of Maya Angelou.
Dedicated to the memory of Stella Waitzkin.
2010
The
Complex Bird
This piece speaks to the complexity of womanhood. Regardless of
what religion, if any, a young girl is brought up with, there is frequently pressure to meet an expectation of demure humility
and purity. At the same time she is bombarded with sexual messages and opportunities, and the expectation that she will
give birth to the next generation.
2009
Spiorad Taigh Àsùr
~ Spirit House Anew
A
spirit house is a shrine often found in southeast Asia, usually in a place of honor in a corner of the property. Frequently
it is modeled as a miniature temple set upon a post or platform and with room for offerings. The spirit house is meant to
be a home for spirits that could be bothersome to the occupants of the actual house.
Though usually associated with eastern culutures, more simple versions of spirit houses also
found in the west. Still, the purpose remains to house spirits that might otherwise cause problems for the homeowners.
"Spiorad Taigh Àsùr" is Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) for "Spirit House
Anew". Purified by fire this spirit house is born anew, with a dove to draw peaceful energy. Inside one
can put offerings or small items to occupy the spirits, or one may choose to tuck small wishes inside to entreat the spirits
for help making them come true.
2008
...Because I was 14...
The title of this piece is paraphrased
from a line in my 2005 poem, "buying Jesus". A crudely built nest, apparently standing in water, holds a broken egg, and a tangled rosary. The nest
sits in the pelvic region of a female torso covered in pure white feathers, Our Lady of Guadalupe resting in the heart.
The poem is about many things, drawn from an experience when I was 14; the passage the phrase is drawn from refers to the
way in which a teenage girl knows everything and nothing, and is easily betrayed.
2007
Hagar
This piece became the object of a bidding war, and I was extremely
flattered because one of the bidders involved was Sara Nightingale, owner of the eponymous gallery. Though not the victor
in the bidding, Ms. Nightingale made arrangements to include Hagar in her gallery's exhibition Chick Flicks,
which ran through November 20, 2007. http://www.saranightingale.com
The opening of the exhibit was timed to coincide with the 2007 Hamptons International Film Festival.
http://www.hamptonsfilmfest.org
Handmaiden to Sarah, Hagar was the concubine (or second wife, depending on source) of Abraham, and
the mother of Ishmael. As Ishmael's mother, Hagar is considered by many to be the foremother of all Muslims.
In recent decades her name has reappeared in Israel, given to newborn Israeli girls as a sign of support for peace with Palestine.
The dove wrapped in plaster bandages is symbolic of the regions many broken attempts at peace in the past. Its
emergence from the heart and spine of Hagar is symbolic of the inner passion and strength necessary to forge a true and lasting
peace. I chose to use an old fiberglass mannequin I was given, and sanded her down to a fine hand - bare patches and
nail holes left bare - evidence of her struggles to survive.
2006
Love is a Rose
Sold in the 2006 auction, Love is a Rose
was a fun little multi-part piece. I detached the roof of the birdhouse, gilding the interior of the house, while painting
the interior of the roof a vivid pink. The exterior was papered with an enlarged photo of an overblown rose from our
back yard. Inside the house stood an 'ice block' with a glass heart, bound with barbed wire, trapped within.
A battery operated 'flame' sat atop the ice block, to 'melt' it, causing the piece to glow.
2005
Harsh Winter
My piece titled Harsh Winter was sold in the very first SFBHC auction in 2005, and proved
to be very popular, if a bit melancholy:
Dan's Papers October 21,
2005
Bidding on Birdhouses to Beat Breast Cancer, by Julie Nasser
Georgia Griffin's "Harsh
Winter" was less comedic, depicting a wrecked birdhouse, one worn down and split by cold. Inside, a nest, egg,
and feather are frozen in place. Right next to this melancholy piece... What one takes in while scanning the creations,
from Paton Miller's long-limbed jungle creature in bright, pure pigments to the anemic greens of "Harsh Winter",
is that there are so many ways to approach or respond to crisis.
Southampton
Press October 20, 2005
Some Exceptional Nests to Feather, by Rebecca Cooper
...Georgia Griffin's "Harsh Winter" portrays a scary scenario: a sculpture that looks like ice, a frozen
bird inside, with broken pieces of the actual house strewn about below.
