Cornered #1

I think I’ve mentioned that I’m working on “Cornered,” the third in the wood chip series of protest sculptures, after “Chipped Away,” and “Sucker Punched.” Cornered is driven so far into an impossible, illogical dead end that her very body is physically taking on the shape of the corner into which she is crushed. She’s frustrated, baffled, and angry, but something resonates in her crouched, tense pose, almost as though she’s about to explode with unchecked fury.

And yet, she’s truly boxed in. If breaking free were so easy, she wouldn’t find herself fighting just for the right to control her own body. She pushed back, smashed down, and held there with only her mind free, and it’s her mind that she wrestles, internally, trying to make sense of pure nonsense, betrayal, and bald-faced lies – never mind enjoying the luxury of bellowing against the ridiculousness of her oppression, and of course, actually affecting change from this position is a thin dream.

Anyway, that’s what I know she feels but exactly why…I’m not sure. I know her entire message centers around her fleshy body, but are her hands buried and groping in her thick, red, curly hair because of societal ideals she feels incapable of reaching? Or political posturing with her health, wealth, and opportunities? Or the rapidly shifting expectations inside a gender war?

As I work in a headspace free for a brief few hours from thinking, feeling, and absorbing the swirling tempest of chaos and destruction beyond my studio, I test this chip, weave in that curl, and watch Cornered take the hits from flying debris and howling winds. But I don’t know what she’s thinking. I don’t think she knows – she’s too busy protecting herself.

Cornered is built from maple, dogwood, mahogany, aromatic cedar, and Osage orange, with just a tiny bead of poplar green for her eyes. I’m hoping to have her finished this month as I’ve seen the next sculpture. There seems to be much to say in this current world disorder.

UPDATE: if you didn’t see my earlier post, the story of A Wolf in the Shipwreck is down on paper and off to editing. I hope to have the 10th book in The Admiral Inn Mysteries and Adventures series out in September of this year. If you’re all caught up, your next book will be available soon. If you want to get started on the series, here’s the link to the first book, A Devil in the Donations. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09RS5XXM7

(P.S. The close up of Cornered shows the raw wood before finish. I can’t wait to touch the grain with sealer! It’s like painting with a Disney brush!)