In The Glow: Illumbria, wool, 9 x 7 x 6 inches, 2023 (glass and wood case, 15 x 9 x 9 inches, included)

This one-of-a-kind sculpture is from my newest body of work, ‘In The Glow,’ exploring perception itself by playing with light, form, and color. Intense pink wool coats the internal tunnel-like structures; in different lighting the organic form seems to glow from within.

From a materials and perception standpoint, this direction in my sculptural practice grows out of recent experiments with reflected color. What I love about bouncing light off an aggressively intense color to get a soft glow against textured white wool is that it makes the observer notice the effect, and possibly notice that they are, in fact, noticing an aesthetic effect. The idea of drawing attention to a way of seeing is what really interests me here. It seems like one way humans can connect with each other: literally sharing in the seeing, and knowing that another human being made it happen so it could be shared.

On top of that, pink is a loaded color— associated with different meanings and values depending on context, gender, culture, object, and age. Does every body, regardless of skin color, have some pink organs thanks to red blood cells? Is pink actually a universally human color?

I created this sculpture by compressing, tangling, and shaping loose fibers into felt using hand-held felting needles. This piece is robust, yet it is best displayed under a glass dome or in a case to prevent dust; the wood, glass, and mirrored base case pictured is included.

This piece will be featured in my solo exhibit ‘In The Glow’ at the Triton Museum of Art in Santa Clara, California from September - December 2024. I will arrange with its collector for a museum loan.