My Mysterious Multimedia Projects

I struggle to find the right words to describe the assemblies I make. Each piece houses a carefully selected collection of items that have a special meaning for me. And in a way that is outside any traditional religion, each work is somehow sacred to me. The terms shrine and reliquary come to mind, however I hope that my creations contain vigor and life, as well as natural and man-made remains.

Generally each shrine is inspired by one particular object that is a focus for my creation. Often I am drawn to natural objects, but sometimes I am inspired by found man-made objects, or by items I make myself. The items, and the shrines I build to house them, often but not always represent defined ideas or feelings, but I may not choose to put these into words. Words may limit your response to my work.

Some of the shrines I create are designed to be placed outside, where they will weather gracefully, although these may last longer if protected from  the elements. Other shrines are more delicate and are better kept inside. I hope you find a place for this shrine where it will catch your eye, and provide a quiet moment of distraction, thought or tranquility: a reprieve from daily routine.

re-li-quar-y
n. pl. –ies A receptacle, such as a coffer or shrine, for keeping displaying relics [Late Latin reliquiae, remains. See relic]
shrine
 n.   1. A container or receptacle for sacred relics, reliquary. [ Middle English shrin, box, chest, reliquary, Old English scrin, from Latin scrinium, box, bookcase.]
tab-er-na-cle
n.  1. often capital T a. The portable sanctuary in which Jews carried the Ark of the Covenant through the desert. 4. A niche for a statue or relic. [Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin tabernaculum, from Latin, tent, diminutive of taberna, hut, perhaps from Etruscan.]

The Artifacts displayed on this website are digital images created from photos, drawings, and scanned objects. They are digital collages from scans of my own work, scans of found objects, and portions of other patterns, photos, and work. Some of these I print and frame or use in other works, for others the digital image is the finished work.

The Reliquaries are photos or scans of actual assemblies and collages that exist as original works. Unfortunately I am not a skilled photographer, and they seem particularly difficult to photograph. I may find myself creating a new digital "artifact" in an attempt to recreate the sense of a reliquary as a digital image.

I find that I have been creating shrines for several years now, and this is a thread that connects seemingly disparate works. I like this revelation!

Now that I recognize what I am making, I feel more in control; a pleasing illusion! I like somewhat rustic outdoor shrines, that can be assembled fairly quickly using natural and found objects with recycled wood and metal housing. I want to follow an inspiration, keeping the enthusiasm, and that flow of response throughout the creation of the piece.

Some materials will need more preparation and care, and need to be used in more finished indoor pieces. Indoor work is seen close up, and generally needs to be more refined, more finished. These works may take three or four weeks (or longer) to complete, instead of three or four days.

I enjoy the little bit of woodcarving that I have done, and may one day start work on original designs, and to incorporate these into my reliquary projects. Again there is some family history here, since my maternal grandmother's family were (wooden) boat builders, and wood carvers. Her brother, Charles Marshal Sayers was a respected and prolific wood carver, whose book "The Book of Wood Carving: Technique, Designs, and Projects" is still available.

Updated 9/2006