Footsteps

 

Footsteps, 2009 (Acrylic, collage and found objects on panel) 96 x 72 inches

 

As an artist my intention is to distill as much of what I see and feel about the world into visual assemblages through which I can share my experiences with others.

 

Sometimes I add found objects, which make me reflect on the experiences of those who might have used them. The large acrylic on panel painting entitled “Footsteps” began when I brought back to the studio, from an afternoon walk, an old brown leather woman’s farm-type shoe. Small and sturdy, with a chunky elevated heel, it was dignified but worn out, ready to rest.

 

It was a story almost left untold. I found it in the hay residue in a neighbor’s old barn and plucked it from the decay like a clam from a low –tide beach. It’s aged, tooled brown leather--holes in the toes, patches attached with bent-nails to cover up the broken-down layers--smelled like work and smoke and the river of days.

 

I puzzled over who might have been its former occupant--the shoe being that person’s connection to the earth for part of a life.

 

It symbolized her path through time and place in a long-gone world.

 

I embedded the shoe into the empty panel as a starting point and began to think about the finite amount of days we have and the places our shoes will take us.

 

Where have your shoes taken you lately? I've been traveling but I look forward to sharing some stories of my trip with you all here on my blog. Thanks for reading and thanks for your support!