In the last few years I solved twenty-six puzzles. “The Pull Toy Alphabet” is a series that interplays the alphabet with symbolic story. There are 26 sculptures, one for each letter, with idiomatic titles. Deceptively playful-looking, each one will face the unrealistic task of pulling something beyond its weight, metaphors of impossible journeys. These charioteers are stitched from a vintage plush toy sewing pattern. The creatures stand 10-12” tall and the ‘loads’ they carry will vary from modified, pre-existing objects to something created particular to them.
Charmed Life (see in Completed) is the first work that inspired this series. The protagonist wears a party hat and parades his bracelet of charms: an act of celebration filled with irony and impossibility. The golden crown, a sign of victory, has been won at some expense. It seems the mementos of childhood that he pulls along are shadowed icons, spiritually if not physically weighted (although a fishing weight does appear on the ring). Among the objects are a small book with the title inscribed within, a child swing, an adult swing and an empty pail. This pull toy has completed his journey and arrived at a place of enlightenment.