Political Works
Making confrontational and provocative work helps me filter the onslaught of news.
Political Works
Making confrontational and provocative work helps me filter the onslaught of news.
Babes in Arms
The series "Babes in Arms" reflects my concern for the values we are passing on to the children of the world. My babies are sweet and precious as all babies are, but they carry with them lethal weapons that may well be their future. They need the protection of gas masks and hard hats for their survival in the toxic world of war they face.
Babies adorned with weapons and gas masks juxtaposed with religious symbols are intended to be provocative. Some of the weapons the babies are burdened with are ridiculously oversized, reflecting the world's increasing arsenal of weapons. The rationale for the escalation in weaponry is that they keep us safe, a deadly paradox.
“Babes in Arms” appears in this explanatory slide show on Social Commentary Art.
“Babes in Arms” is featured on the cover of Confrontational Ceramics by Judith Shwartz (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2008).
Bankers
"Bankers" is a response to the greed and indifference of Wall Street and many of our politicians to the realities that most people in the 99% face.
In "The Banker is Happy with the Election Results," the banker has nothing to fear as he has both political parties in his pockets; any political change is a win for him.
Cones of Shame
Cones of Shame: the Politician, the Patriot, and the Banker
Placing the cones of shame on the banker, the politician, and the patriot publicly humiliates and exposes their disgraceful agendas and behaviors, which are harming the already stressed economy.
Their political slogans and sound bites seem innocuous but their rhetoric has an ominous tone. As we have seen in the US with the election of President Trump
Presidential Squadron
In October of 2002, I was invited to make an ornament for the White House Christmas tree. The theme for the tree was "All creatures, great and small".
All artists were asked to make a native bird from their state. So I decided to make an Allen's Hummingbird.
While I was honored to be invited to submit my work to the White House, I wished I could have sent the president a message of how I felt about some of his policies. But I knew a hummingbird in a gas mask would not adorn the tree. And who knows, my name could have ended up on some list other than the guest list.
These nine hummingbirds represent the one I wished I could have sent.
Property of ICE
I made the piece when I first heard that the US government was holding young children in detention camps.
It seems more relevant these days with the horrific spectacle of children taken from their parents.
Tea Party Elephants
Featured
The elephants represent the republican party and the vehemence that they project. The teapot and tea cups are a reference to the Tea Party, and their extreme views.
In my piece ''Bow Down'' the elephant is subservient and drinking from the tea cup.
The piece "Party Tricks" addresses the often flowery promises made by politicians before the election, which most people know will be impossible to deliver.
Trump
A Bad Hombre
I made this piece for the inauguration of Present Trump. Here I am using his words back at him, commenting on his extreme views and the vehemence he and his cabinet project. The crown he wears is a reference to his white supremacist advisors. The fact that his crown looks like a dunce cap is not an accident. Sadly it took less than a year for his white extremist follows, who he encourages to go on their rampage of violence that ended with the death of a young woman and many others serious injuries in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Breaking America Tweet by Tweet
With the daily onslaught of Trump’s tweets he is succeeding in keeping division in this country and ostracizing the media, which he claims to be fake if it questions him. His immigration stance goes against what America stood for in the world: a beacon of hope for oppressed people. He is breaking this country, unchallenged by his Republican sycophants.
Trust
This piece was made to commemorate Ambassador Stevens, who was killed in Benghazi, Libya in 2012. It was made for an exhibit honoring the life of Ambassador Stevens.
The two children depicted in this piece are reading together from the same book. They represent very different cultures, yet they are friends. The children both have deep-rooted histories that entangle the white dove of peace.