The Creation of Pauline (click thumbnails to view enlargements)

Pauline’s base is a vintage mannequin, not very becoming, but as most of my forms do, called for revival. She sat in my studio for months begging for my attention; after studying her lines, composition and materials began to surface and soon my work table became inudated with ideas about to unfold.

A supply of slingshot pellets immediately called out for bosom placement. The nipples, well....I didn't want this piece to speak "ordinary" so they took on their own personality. Perhaps being a breast cancer survivor has something to do with it? I use glass cutters (my favorite tool) to carefully cut each chard of stained glass and china; a time consuming process well worth every secondl. Three to five layers of plaster tape were applied to reinforce and solidify the base in prep for chard placement.

I decided to give her "dress" a MardiGras treatment of color and splash, the marbles "came to me" the same time the pellets decided to. As you can see, I am drawn to dimension, and Pauline was a perfect model.

The skin treatment with the aqua stained glass just seemed a natural color for her, as she is definitely not of this world. The color permitted a certain amount of movement and life in the work as does the placement and direction of the chards.

I decided to use tumbled stained glass for her face. It added a different texture from the rest of her torso to make her become more alive within her costume. The mouth is made up of two Celtic silver clasps, which I added a little red to for composition.

Bebes can be seen throughout the work, a visual “glue” to help each segment bond. Grouting (choice of color) can be tricky...it either makes the piece, or totally destroys a lot of hard work. Black was chosen for her body, as it was a great contrast for the colors in the chards. I knew from the get go her face had to be different, so she was grouted in white, then after drying. I infused an antique gold paint.

Although this piece can be a pedestal work, she is meant to be wall mounted, so the base is chard the same as her dress. I seal all of my work to extend its life and for protection from elements. This particular piece is meant to live indoors. Naming the completed work was easy. “Pauline” was my grandmother’s name, and she too, was from another world.