Sculpture Painting Drawing

2017 11”x4”x25” canvas, acrylic, chain, wood block, leather, rope, buttons

During the last few years I solved twenty-six puzzles: The Pull Toy Alphabet completed July 2020. This series interplays the alphabet with symbolic story and idiomatic titles. Deceptively playful-looking, each one will face the unrealistic task of pulling something beyond its weight, metaphors of impossible journeys. These charioteers stand 10-12” tall and the ‘loads’ they carry will vary from modified, pre-existing objects to something created particular to them.

Each one celebrates their own place of enlightenment.

2020 12”x8”x24” canvas, acrylic, wood, chain, drawing, vintage buttons, leather

2017 11”x7”x20” canvas, acrylic, wood, patinated copper, wire, chain, vintage buttons, wire

Charmed Life was the first to appear and inspired me to do an entire alphabet series. This 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.

2018 11”x6”x22” canvas, acrylic, antique wooden box, vintage lithographed toy tin plates, chain, yarn, antique buttons

2019 13”x5”x20” canvas, acrylic, wood, vintage buttons, antique chain, vintage tin toy, wood

2018 10”x5”x23” canvas, acrylic, antique wooden box, chain, vintage buttons and wheels

2019 12”x3”x22” canvas, acrylic, vintage wood horse, chain, cord

2020 12”x4”x20” canvas, acrylic, cast steel wagon toy, wood block, antique hook, vintage buttons

2020 12”x5”x33” canvas, acrylic, antique wooden box and wrench and chain, vintage buttons, pulley, leather, suede

2020 12”x5”x22” canvas, acrylic, chain, antique wood/metal toy, vintage buttons, fish finder rig

2018 11”x5.5”x24” canvas, acrylic, wood, playing card, chain, vintage hardware and buttons, bell

2018 10”x6”x17” canvas, acrylic, wood, chain, vintage buttons, boat keel roller

2018 13”x10”x22” canvas, acrylic, vintage basket, wheels and buttons, wood, rope

This hat is a reproduction of the pattern used for each. And thank you to the Clark Thread Company for the signature opportunity.

2018 11.5”x4.5”x23” canvas, acrylic, vintage wood blocks, skateboard wheels and buttons, chain, leather, rope

The blocks spell it like it is: “I made 26 pull toys”.

2018 13”x4.5”x13” canvas, acrylic, wood, chain, vintage ceramic toy and buttons, leather

2018 11.5”x5”x33” canvas, acrylic, chain, fisher price musical toy, leather, wood

2018 11”x5”x26” canvas, acrylic, wood, rope, vintage fisher price toy, chain, antique buttons

2018 12”x7”x27” canvas, acrylic, old wooden box, rubber wheels, rope, leather, vintage buttons

2018 12.5”x5”x24” canvas, acrylic, Playschool wood toy, chain, wooden wheels, vintage buttons

2020 12”x4”x22” canvas, acrylic, wood block, pewter toy, leather, plated collar with inscribed title is tap from my father’s dancing shoes

2019 12”x6”x22” canvas, acrylic, wood, plaster, skateboard wheels, leather, chain, vintage buttons

2020 12”x4”x22” canvas, acrylic, wood blocks, piece of metal trap, vintage buttons, chain, rope, metal wheels

2018 10”x5”x28” canvas, acrylic, wooden blocks and wheels, threads, chain, vintage buttons, leather

2020 14”x5”x20” canvas, acrylic, wood block and antique wood wheels, leather, vintage buttons

2020 12”x4”x33” canvas, acrylic, vintage plastic alphabet blocks, chain, rope, antique buttons

2020 12”x6”x24” canvas, acrylic, tin container, wooden wheels, vintage buttons, chain, scrabble cubes

During the last few years I solved twenty-six puzzles: The Pull Toy Alphabet completed July 2020. This series interplays the alphabet with symbolic story and idiomatic titles. Deceptively playful-looking, each one will face the unrealistic task of pulling something beyond its weight, metaphors of impossible journeys. These charioteers stand 10-12” tall and the ‘loads’ they carry will vary from modified, pre-existing objects to something created particular to them.

Each one celebrates their own place of enlightenment.