My goal was to create this newfound, scintillating beauty. The metamorphosis of my physical and spiritual self manifested in my art. During my recuperation period, I became intrigued with watching videos of caterpillars going through the process of metamorphosis to a new being ... a beautiful butterfly. I felt a strong similarity happening inside me. Growing older brings many challenging as well as wonderful changes.
Much of society seems uncomfortable with aging, as if that were a bad thing. But as I have been going through the aging process, I have discovered a whole new me: A me that is wiser and more beautiful. The beauty of nature has touched me profoundly.
The beautiful acts of kindness in the midst of tragedies, that I have witnessed, inspired me. While tragic events are striking and many times horrific, beauty is eternal and uplifting.
I had been working on Metamorphosis with the intention of creating a beautiful public sculpture. But just as what has happened with most of my sculptures in the past, the parallels between my art and my personal experiences became clear. Well into the process of creating the sculpture, I needed double knee replacements and was forced to stop working on it to have the surgery. I would not be capable of working on her for nine months (my pupa stage). During that time, I was focusing on keeping her hydrated. Without this dedication, the clay would have dried out and the piece completely lost.
My surgery was a huge success. I have wonderful new knees and full quality of life back. When I was able to return to the 450-pound sculpture, I unwrapped it and stepped back to examine her. I observed her at many more angles and with a new appreciation for my own rebirth. It was then I could see that I had etched pain into the sculpture. She was rigid; holding pain tightly. I pondered many possible changes. It took me another nine months to incorporate them. It was then that I started to envision her as an emerging butterfly woman. She became more insectlike, with eyes large and prominent. Her limbs, feet, and hands became elongated, thus evoking the structure of the butterfly I saw in my mind’s eye. An insect of scintillating beauty pushing and poking out of her chrysalis.
She was completed and I was preparing her for our long truck drive to my foundry, Art Foundry Carpino, in Houston. Two days before our departure, I was invited to attend an intimate gathering. The event centered around the teachings of a Tibetan monk.
I had never been exposed to direct teachings like this and found it so beautiful. He spoke about the Medicine Buddha’s powers of compassion and healing, of forgiveness and love, of kindness, of harmony; qualities our world so desperately needs.
As I was finishing Metamorphosis, I kept wondering “Why had I positioned the hands of my sculpture in this certain way?” – the right hand with finger pointing, while the other hand holds an egg-shaped crystal. There seemed to be no conscious reason for me to have chosen this position. To my delight and usual amazement, I was enlightened with the reason. She was to be like the Medicine Buddha for all to experience with no one religious attachment; a symbol of all are one. The hands of the Medicine Buddha, I discovered, are positioned in the same way! He holds a healing bowl and mine holds a crystal. I was deeply moved by this parallel. After 25 years of sculpting, I still feel immensely moved to have discovered how these beautiful works seem to flow from me. I believe experiences, such as with the monk’s lecture, are messages sent to me so that I can tell a story. This one is a story of beauty, love, healing, balance, compassion, kindness, and forgiveness.
This is the story of Metamorphosis. May her presence evoke these emotions within YOU!
