Transcendence

I use sculpture and craft techniques and non-traditional art materials to create meticulous and symbolic objects.

Initially the primary influences for my work were 19th century memento mori hair jewelry and the contemporary practice of heaping flowers in makeshift shrines. The human need to mark our important passages in life transcends the confines of economic, political, religious, cultural and national boundaries. I drew upon these themes and the materials of hair and roses to create works that respond to the beauty of rituals developed over time to satisfy this fundamental human impulse.
In 2001, my increased awareness of personal and public rites of memorial led me to include new materials and references. Two seemingly simultaneous events at that time refocused the direction of my work: first, while packing the belongings of my recently deceased brother, Scot Sharrett, a musician, I discovered his collection of hundreds of guitar-string ball ends amongst his belongings; second, I learned that workers at the World Trade Center recovery site had discovered a wedding ring that belonged to a passenger from one of the airplanes that crashed into the towers. To me, these circular metal rings, a universally symbolic wedding ring, and personally significant tiny music “beads”, symbolized the essence of ritual.

In “Arrangements,” my series of works that incorporates rings inspired by these sources, the circular forms and compositions reflect the seamless continuum of ritual that binds the past to the present, and the present to the future. Mirroring the Buddhist mandala form, the circular shape enveloped by the square background of the “Arrangements” characterizes the infinite within the finite. The geometric schemes of Gothic cathedral rose windows and the numeric configurations of religious prayer beads inform the mathematical arrangements of the work.

In addition to rose petals and synthetic hair, new materials include rings, bone beads and handmade rose beads inspired by a 13th-century recipe for rosary beads. The works are sewn to a wax covered wooden box, drilled to accommodate the stitching. I choose my materials specifically for their symbolic significance. Guitar-string ball ends are used as a dedication to my brother, as are the song titles chosen to name the works. A variety of needlework techniques are used, including crochet, embroidery and needlelace. I attach a ribbon embroidered with the title of the work and my name to the sides of the boxes with carefully hammered small straight pins.