"Northeast Quadrant"

from

The Katrina Collection

Film on the work of Lori K. Gordon

This is a 20 minute film about my work. It focuses on The Katrina Collection, and plans for the second stage of The Labat Project. Click on the arrow on the bottom left of the screen to play the video.

To view The Katrina Collection, scroll down to the end of this page. Click on any image for a larger view.

Artist's Statement:

Like so many people along the Gulf Coast, the life I knew was torn apart by Hurricane Katrina. I lost my home and studio in Clermont Harbor, Mississippi to a 35 foot wall of water and 150 mile per hour winds. Not one wall was left standing in my entire beachfront community.

In both a literal and a metaphorical sense, this series is composed of pieces of the storm. I have had an incredible amount of help in its development along the way. Friends and neighbors gave me permission to rummage through the debris on their property, shop owners in Bay St. Louis and Waveland made the same generous offer, and there have been many strangers who invited me onto their property or delivered boxes of debris to my door. A couple of months after the storm, I was invited by Lisa Michiel of Art Gulf Coast magazine to write a story about my experiences for their first post-Katrina issue. The following article is reprinted by permission of the Michiels.



Life is about a lot of things, and one of those is loss. In recent weeks, thousands of people along the Gulf Coast have had more than our share of loss to deal with. So many of us lost our homes, our businesses, and our way of life. For some of us, it’s been even worse; we have lost friends and family members. It is hard to find anyone who was not profoundly affected by the massive storm of August 29.

Before Katrina ravaged our coast, I used to drive down streets just to marvel at the beauty of my surroundings. I spent countless mornings on the beach, sitting in the sand with a cup of coffee as I watched the sun rise over the Gulf. My favorite evening activity was to bicycle down the beach road at sunset, luxuriating in the cool breeze coming off the sound. I could not paint enough local landscapes, or stand to stay away from my studio for long.

In the aftermath of the storm which ripped our lives apart, I did none of those things. Instead, I swept the slab where my home used to stand. I picked among the rubble of splintered wood and rusted metal where my studio rested amidst a beautiful grove of bamboo. I looked for signs of life in what used to be my community, and I waited. I waited for the insurance adjusters to come and I waited for the county to allow me to go back home and I waited for some sign that things were really getting better. I waited for the moments of anger, sorrow and fear to pass. I waited for nights in which I could sleep, and for the cessation of troubled dreams which I didn’t understand. I waited for the clock of our lives to start ticking again.

I know that I was not alone. We all experienced the agony of waiting for our lives to get better, and the frustration of not being able to control that process. In the months since the storm, I have not talked to anyone who can make sense of what happened. There are some situations in which reasoning is not adequate; intellectualization simply does not do the job. My only response has been visceral, and the expression of that has been through my work.

Five weeks after the storm, I started sifting through the rubble of my life and began creating something new from the mounds of debris that cover my property. My canvases are now composed of twisted, rusty pieces of metal and battered pieces of plywood. I have found treasures in the form of clocks which stopped at the moment that destruction rained down upon Clermont Harbor. Broken dolls which washed up on my lot have been transformed into visual stories of shattered lives. Plaster angels have found new halos of dartboard wire, and fragments of paintings which I plucked from tree limbs like damaged fruit have been reborn in new forms.

Some of these new works are multifaceted; among the physical layers of the piece are also layers of meaning. Stories of the storm can be found within the elements of the collages. Blue Heron is one of the most complex pieces in the series, both visually and metaphorically. A powerful digital image of a ruined structure on the beach is surrounded by an ornate frame, indicating that the house was once lovely and extravagant. The support for the work is a piece of very twisted and rusty metal which indicates the wrath and destructive power of the storm, but a “tree” with green leaves is bursting through the image of the ruined house, signifying rebirth and growth. Pieces of an antique dresser act as vertical structure for the piece, and a blue heron sits off to the side, as if waiting to return to the coast. Salvaged portions of a recovered painting and some twisted cloth from an oak limb complete the piece.

Others are much simpler and direct, having to do more with powerful visual imagery than with layers of meaning. House of Katrina is one such piece. I was immediately drawn to the elegant shape of the chair fragment, with its strong Asian feel. The curved knife salvaged from the ruins of my kitchen added to the oriental cast, and the painted fabric that is reminiscent of water, as well as the fossilized ammonite, anchor the piece solidly in time and space.

As each element of a piece has found its perfect place with another, I have been feeling something akin to hope. After weeks of shoveling stinking mud, wet insulation and crumbling sheetrock, I am now in my new “studio”, playing among my treasures. Instead of standing in endless lines to fill out yet more forms, I am making something out of nothing. The waiting has been replaced with creating. I feel like I have been blessed beyond belief.

I have always known how important my work was to my happiness and wellbeing. I never felt that I had a choice as to whether or not I did my art; it is simply what I am about. The five weeks in which Katrina robbed me of that part of myself is a period of time in which I was not complete. It is only since I have begun to work again that I have been able to begin the healing process. In a very small and personal way, I have been able to make time start again. As I savor the relief that comes with moving forward, I am rediscovering the possibility of joy.

Shortly after the hurricane, a friend told me that it was the responsibility of artists to begin creating as soon as possible. It was our job, she said, to help us all understand what had happened to our lives. I don’t know if my work can do that for anyone else. What I do know is that each of us, in our own unique fashion, has to find a way to believe again, to dare hope for our future.


Lori Gordon
October 2005

Published in Art Gulf Coast, fall/winter 2005 issue


To see a twenty minute film about my work, click on the screen towards the top of this blog. You can also log on to http://lorikgordon.blogspot.com. To view MSNBC's slideshow and hear an audio tape, please go to http://risingfromruin.msnbc.com. NPR's story on All Things Considered can be accessed at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5620537. My good friend Ellis Anderson has written some very moving accounts of the situation; her "Katrina Chronicles" may be read at http://katrinapatina.blogspot.com. To keep abreast of our struggle to prevent our coastline from being turned into another high rise condo horror, visit www.coastalcommunitywatch.org, which is the site for the organization which Ellis and I founded in May of 2005. Finally, please visit www.hancock-art.com, the website for our local organization, The Arts, Hancock County, Mississippi.

Please feel free to email me at lorikgordon@gmail.com for any information on prices and availability of pieces from The Katrina Collection, or on upcoming shows and workshops in your area.

Lori K. Gordon

y
I made this piece at the request of my friends Wendy McDonald and David Walker of Habitat for Humanity Bay-Waveland Area. They asked me to create a piece for President and First Lady Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter in appreciation for their efforts rebuilding the Gulf Coast. They asked that the piece not only be composed of hurricane debris from the storm, but include personal mementos from the 10 families that received new homes during the Carter Work Project. Thousands of volunteers from around the world joined the Carters in coastal Mississippi during the third week of May. I was honored to join the Carters for lunch, and present them with this piece of art. Needless to say, it was quite a thrill.

Lori with Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, May 15, 2008, in Diamondhead, MS

Faith's Angel came about as a commission from the American Red Cross. The good folks there asked me to create a piece for Faith Hill, a Mississippi native. Faith and her husband Tim McGraw contributed an immense amount for Katrina survivors. I began the piece with fragments of a smashed guitar which I pulled from a ditch in Clermont Harbor shortly after the storm. I paired the guitar with a ceramic head which once graced the body of a mardi gras doll, purchased resin wings, some fragments of stained glass which came from my friend Anita's lampshade, and a wood and metal window guard with a symbolic red cross. SOLD

I thought of God was fashioned from a fragment of a piece of yard art which I dug out of a debris pilenext to an antique store, two pieces of scrap plywood, a Mexican window guard, a fork, a letter opener, and fragments from an old light fixture. The title is from an entry in the Horn Island logs of Walter Anderson. 39" x 39"

City Beneath the Sea was created from two pieces of decorative tin, a salvaged plaster fleur de lis, long a symbol of New Orleans and even more so since Katrina, and a tiny wood saint from a prayer bracelet. 34" x 34" SOLD

6 and 7/8 This abstract piece was created from a hat form (I think!), handmade paper, part of a wood box, and a cupboard door. 14" x 17"

Vessel This piece was made from a cupboard door, handmade paper, and a wall vessel which I purchased from a craft store which flooded in Katrina. 13" x 28"

Three Paths This piece was created from a cupboard door, handmade paper, a salvaged wood column, and three Asian carved pieces of bone. I purchased these in the San Francisco area, and recovered 7 of the original 8 pieces to the set. 11" x 30"

The Human Condition Most of us have probably experienced the situation this piece references. I know that there have been many times when I feel as though i have been beating my head against a wll to get something accomplished within a deadline. The elements of this piece include a headless acrylic human form, a clock, an auger, scrap wood, a wood boix and drawer from a desk. 10" x 25"

Old World Madonna The madonna in this piece is caught between the old world, represented by the map reproduction on the platter, and modernity, which is represented by the boogie board. The statue is made of acrylic, and the halo is made from fragments of a painted bamboo curtain. 19" x 30"

Measure of Man II is composed from a wood factory mold, several fragments of picture molding, a painted wood manikin, and a fragment of fine furniture.14" x 24"

Mardi Gras was created from a real Mardi Gras paper mache mask created by New Orleans mask maker Gabriel Q. I paired it with a cupboard door, an Asian fan, and colorful yarn which hangs down below the door. 16" x 20"

Fleur de Lis Saint began with the wonderful carved wood santo from Guatemala. I paired it with a painted wood bread bowl, a handcarved cross, a metal fleur di lis which once graced a napkin ring, a wood and metal window guard from Mexico, and a painted piece of scrap plywood. 20" x 33"

Antiquity centers around the polymer clay relief which speaks to me of the humanist tradition in the arts. The clay medallion rests in a cast metal leaf form, adhered to an acrylic clock. The support for the piece is a cupboard door. 18" x 18"

All Shook Up was a really fun piece to create. I painted a cupboard door, and began arranging the fragments of musical instruments and the remains of a broken table on its surface. The title refers, of course, to the song made popular by Elvis. 20" x 36"

Mask V was made from a brass African mask, an old wood ski given me by Bay st Louis artists Dwight Issacs, a scrap piece of wood, and beads of glass, metal, and polymer clay, as well as thimbles, coins, and assorted other treasures. 14" x 50"

Orient was created from a beautiful piece of Asian furniture, two pieces of molding, a picture frame and another fragment of furniture. 52" x 18"

Covering the Bases weas made from two handmade voodoo dolls, a paper mache form covered with joss papers, a piece of cheap furniture, two rusty joining plates and a piece of rusty shelving. 37" x 22"

Frieda's Dance is composed from a piece of embossed metal, a Mexican tin and glass cross, a wonderful old doll who has lost her hair, and a damaged wood angel, also Mexican in origin. 20" x 26"

Cigar Box Shard 4

Cigar Box Shard 3

Cigar Box Shard 2

Cigar Box Shard 2

Chinese Panel

Summers at the Beach House is something many people remember about the Bay. This piece was made from a fragment of a painted wood welcome sign, a picture frame, and a cupboard door.

All Those Cars is about the very vivid mental image I have of the thousands of cars which littered the coast in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Nearly everyone I knew lost their car in the storm surge; upon returning to my town two days after Katrina, I found out how lucky I was to still have a car. As it turned out, that was all I had. This piece was created around the rusty model car-I do not know if it is a Model A or Model T or what, exactly. It is resting upon a battered copper bowl nestled in two drawers with a piece of shattered mirror in the background.

Sacred Heart II was created from part of a tabletop, a painted ceiling tin, part of a plant stand, a clock case and a Mexican tin sacred heart. 38" x 22"

American Bandstand SOLD

Three Beasts

Duet

Red Door SOLD

Buddha in a Cave was made from a carved stone Buddha, two picture frames, a platter with Chinese characters, a piece of plywood and fragments of an Asian screen. 19" x 20"

Buddhist Time was made from a plaster Buddha with the top missing, a palm leaf, a wood box, a horn, knife scabbard, a clock, and a fragment of picture molding. 19" x 37"

Turquoise Cross 9. This series of small collages was created on a day that I forgot to bring my laptop with me to work. I purchased the small turquoise crosses from my friends Sid and Pam Yoder, who are jewelers in our co-op gallery in Bay St Louis, ran up to the dollar store and bought small acrylic frames with stands, and gathered together bits of salvaged paper. They are all 4" x 5", and I have them priced at $25.

Turquoise Cross 8 SOLD

Turquoise Cross 7

Turquoise Cross 6 SOLD

Turquoise Cross 5 SOLD

Turquoise Cross 4

Turquoise Cross 3 SOLD

Turquoise Cross 2

Turquoise Cross

Sarajian Fish was created for my friend Jay Sarajian, one of the crew of volunteers that came to Pinetucky Road last fall to give us a hand in getting the house built. SOLD

Flora is composed of a painted piece of polymer clay, handmade paper and a debris frame. approx 14" x 16"

Carousel II. I had intended for this to hang horizontally but for some reason blogger likes it this way! This piece was created from a wood and metal window guard, a piece of scrap plywood and a wonderful old carousel horse.

Abstract II was created from a drawer front, a cupboard door and a wood and metal window guard.

The Teacher 18" x 30"

Abacus Angel

Doorplate Angel

Angel on Stage

Framed Shard 2

Framed Shard 1

Butterfly Angel

Ionic Angel was created from a polymer face and ionic column, an old Mexican frame, a piece of salvaged wood and a rusty embossed piece of metal.

Gustav Abstract 4 15" x 22"

Gustav Abstract 6 is a paper collage mounted on plexiglass. 15" x 22".

Gustav Abstract 5 15" x 22"

Gustav Abstract 3 15" x 22"

Gustav Abstract 2 15" x 22"

Gustav Abstract 1 15" x 22"

Cross and Grid was created from a Mexican window guard, a piece of scrap plywood, a rusted piece of metal and a ceramic cross. 20" x 28"

Bread and Roses was created from a polymer clay head, a painted piece of wood and another scrap of wood, a slat to a wood barrel, two metal long stemmed roses, a fragment of a stained glass lampshade, and a battered charger. 12" x 17"

Boogie Board Buddha

Rusty Angel was created from two pieces of rusting metal, a drawer front and a wood angel. 15" x 12"

Seduction starts with this gorgeous reproduction printed on metal. I paired it with a painted wood bowl and an acrylic charger. 12"

mask

Gustave Collage was made from two pieces of plexiglass, some handmade paper salvaged from Hurricane Gustave, acrylic paint, part of a book cover, , scraps of wood, and a rusty washer.

Inner Music was created from a piece of plywood, some metal straps, a portion of a picture frame, a piece from a n accordian I dug out of a debris pile, a purchased window guard, the grate from a Weber grill, a scrap piece of metal and a mold of a human figure made from Paperclay.

Portal II was created from a piece of plywood, a fragment of fine furniture, an opium bottle from China, and a fragment of a steel door which I picked up on the beach road a couple of weeks ago. The steel and wood has been stamped with Chinese characters. I swore to myself that I was not going to gather any debris from Hurricanes Ike and Gustav, but I could not resist this piece... 24" x 32"

Gustave Series

Just a few days after the third year anniversary of Katrina, Hurricane Gustav blew into Louisiana. While the Mississippi Gulf Coast was spared the worst of the storm, we did not escape the storm's effects entirely. In Clermont Harbor, where my husband and I were still living in a Katrina Cottage and also maintained a workshop, four feet of water covered our slab. The workshop was a shambles, and the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency evicted us from the flooded cottage. As we began cleaning up the mess, I came across several bags of small scraps of handmade papers, left over from my workshops. Even in their soggy, smelly condition they were too beautiful to throw away. I rinsed them, let them soak in some bleach water, and laid them out to dry on my slab. The collages I created from them are all approximately 12" x 12", and are available for sale.

Gustav/ Wood Nymph

Gustav/Trees

Gustav/ Three

Gustav/ O

Gustav/ Medicine Man

Gustav/Landscape

Gustav/Figure

Gustav/ Art and Soul 2

Gustav/ Art and Soul 1

South by Southeast has at its center a wonderful, horn and wood carved face of a buddha. I purchased this recently from some folks who were cleaning out a storm damaged building. The figure was paired with two carved Chinese panels, a piece of embossed sheet metal, a circular Chines platter from that same sale, and a rusted Mexican frame.

This month marks the three year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. I decided to try and find a way to make some small, very affordable pieces to mark the anniversary. I made prints on canvas of several pieces of The Katrina Collection, and used them as the focal points of small collages which incorporate actual pieces of storm debris. These pieces range in price from $75- $150. Email me at lorikgordon@gmail.com for prices and availability of any particular piece.

Three Years 10 combines an image of a piece of the collection with two pieces of painted plywood salvaged from debris piles. 8" x 12"

Three Years 9 starts with an image of "Early Hours", mounted on a piece of wood flooring and a bamboo basket. 14" diameter

Three Years 8 incorporates an image of the Mumford Award for the Environment that I created for ADPSR, mounted on a salvaged piece of wood with metal, and a strip of metal banding. Approx 8" x 8"

Three Years 7 starts with a print of "Eyes of the Storm", to which I added stained cheesecloth and copper wire, and mounted on a piece of scrap plywood. 9" x 10"

Three Years 6 has an image of a piece of the collection mounted upon a salvaged fan blade and a piece of scrap, painted plywood. 18.5" x 9"

Three Years 5 features a print of "Full Moon Kitty", to which was added several pieces of metal banding and two scrap pieces of plywood. 18 " x 12"

Three Years 4 started with an image of a piece of the collection, mounted on two pieces of salvaged plywood. 8" x 11"

Three Years began with an image of "Universal Mother", a piece I did for the March of Dimes, a piece of salvaged plywood, a painted piece of canvas, a floor tile, a feather and a piece of beach glass. 17" x 17"

Three Years 2 has an image of a piece called "Darling Saint", a photograph of Ramoneda Street in Bay St Louis, copper tacks, canvas from one of my ruined paintings and a piece of salvaged plywood. 8.5" x 10.5"

Three Years 1 started with an image of a piece of the collection adhered to a painted gallery wrap canvas, to which I added yarn, dyed cheesecloth, feathers, copper wire, and a strip of metal banding. 10" x 20"

Prairie Angel was created from an old wood and metal slicer, a battered garden implement, copper wire, arms from a broken china doll, wire "wings" , a polymer head, three strips of metal banding and acrylic paint. 7" x 17" SOLD

Land of Enchantment was created from a tin box, a New Mexico license plate, a mysterious metal piece, part of an old clock case, various fragments of furniture and a Mexican cross studded with milagros.

Virgin in the Temple was created with a carved wood Santo in a structure, a Mexican window guard, a piece of painted plywood and the base to a piece of fine furniture from a debris pile in Pass Christian. 19" x 27"

Uptown Saint was created from window guard, a painted piece of plywood, two forks, a kitchen slicer, half of a furniture leg, two wheels from another piece of furniture, a metal fleur de lis that was once on a napkin ring, and a plaster head from Cyprus. 12" x 30"

Novena consists of a variety of croses, rosarie and other religious items, some of which were from debris piles and some not. I created rolled up pieces of painted paper on which are printed various novenas to accompany the crosses. They are all nestled within a printer's box, to which I added a carved Santos and a Mexican window guard. 17" x 34"

Nicosia Saint 5 is a big piece which incorporates an old metal sign, plywood, a metal roof tile from New Orleans, a metal picture frame and a piece of fancy brass, acrylic wings, a plaster god's head from Cyprus, and another metal fragment. 24" x 40"

Nicosia Saint 4 was created for my show with Gara Gillentine. It was made from a plaster head and glass "evil eye" charm from Cyprus, acrylic wings, beads, yarn, plywood, window guard, metal leaf, stone amulet and a wonderful piece of concrete-embedded wire which I have been holding for three years, looking for a perfect use for it.

Live Oak is made from a Mexican window guard, two painted pieces of plywood, a what was left of an old painting of mine. 21" x 30"

Gulf Coast Egret is made from a couple of pieces of painted plywood, a metal serving tray and wood frame. 16" x 16"

Gabriel's Mask 5 was made from one of Gabriel's masks, storm-damaged mardi gras beads, a painted metal clock and fabric. 25" x 35"

Fancy Fowl is composed from a piece of plywood, a metal fragment and battered piece of jewelry, a wood floor tile, wood heart and carv ed and painted wood chicken. 12" x 19"

Dreams of the Ordinary Man is a really fun piece I created from painted piece of plwood, a Mexican window guard, a fragment of someone's front door with the doorplate and latch still attahed, two old forks, a piece of cabinet hardware, a polymer face, metal "hair" and a cow horn. SOLD

Doggie of the World was created from a small metal dog I salvaged from the debris outside an antique store in Bay St Louis, a battered circular piece of metal, two other small fragments, a Mexican window guard and a painted piece of plywood. 27" x 27" SOLD

Carnival was created from one of Gabriel Q's masks, a Mexican window guard nd a painted piece of plywood.

Camel Chop was created from a bone chop, a small painting on canvas, and a painted fragment of furniture. 13" x 24"

Tropical Overdose was made from a kitchen cabinet door, a piece of wood flooring, an acryli leaf and an acrylic pineapple, two ceramic leaves and a stuffed doll. SOLD

Full Moon Kitty is created from an old kitchen cabinet door, two circular pieces of wood of undetermined origin, another oddly shaped piece of salvaged and painted wood, and a painted wood cat.

Early Morning Hours is about my favorite time of day. I recovered the broken platter from a friend's yard in Waveland, two table legs and part of a plant stand, a fragment of rusty shelving and a painted piece of plywood.

China is composed from a carved piece of soapstone, part of an Asian basket, a bamboo tray and a plastic frame mounted on plywood.

Way Out West is a fun piece which I made from a painted piece of salvaged plywood, what was left of a wonderful painting which I treasured for many years, two old frames and a piece of a tooled and painted leather wallet. 27" x 22"

Nicosia Saint 3 was fashioned from a piece of oak flooring, a plastic piece which once embellished a piece of cheap furniture, the bottom and one of the ribs from a small barrel, a pottery shard, plastic wings and a plaster head which I picked up on my recent trip to the island of Cyprus. 12" x 24"

Nicosia Saint 2 was created from tw0 pieces of salvaged board, a metal cross and another of those wonderful plaster heads from Cyprus. 12" x 29"

Gabriel's Mask 4 was made from another Gabriel Q mask, a wood tabletop, and a decorative , circular piece of metal. 21" diameter

Ceramic Cross starts with the cross mounted on a piece of wood which I recently purchased. I layered it with a rusty piece of metal and a painted metal platter.

Low Tide incorporates a small acrylic painting, and three different scraps of wood from various debris piles. 24" x 24"

Cairo's Bayou starts with a small acrylic painting on plywood and three pieces of bamboo mounted on a drawer from a jewelry case. 17" x 11"

Bayou Road combines a small original painting of mine, some flooring tile, two pieces of scrap plywood and a strip of metal.

Aias begins with the small ceramic painting from Greece. I mounted it on a metal disc and added the curved metal element, and adhered them to the piece of wood which was once part of a dresser drawer. The support for the piece is a wooden tray.

Church Music is composed from a piece of beadboard which I painted and distressed, a wonderful picture frame with four fleur de lis in the corners, a Mexican window guard, and the pieces from a smashed saxophone.

Nautilus Story begins with the brass replica of a shell. I layered it upon a wood platter on which I wrote my personal storm story; a fragment of fine furniture to which some handmade paper has been adhered and which includes more of my story, and an old mirror backing which I painted and attached more handmade paper.

Asian Story is a very simple piece which combines a carved Chinese panelwith a bamboo tray. 39" x 13"

Jenny's Piece 3. SOLD

Jenny's Piece 2

Jenny's Piece 1. SOLD

Jenny's Candle Holder. SOLD

Heart of Dixie began with the beautifully rusted license plate, which I mounted on a couple of pieces of scrap board. The body was made from a tassle which came from the debris of an antiques store, the arms are made from another scrap of wood, the face is a salvaged porton of a mardi gras necklace, and the hair is a fragment of cheesecloth from one of my workshops.

Seed Pod Saint III was composed from two pieces of scrap plywood, an intriguing seed pod, a face of polymer clay and some wings I cut out of matboard. 8" x 9"

Angel with a Silk Scarf was created from a piece of scrap plywood, a scrap of canvas, a decorative ceiling tile, door hardware, wood candle holder, pieces of silk torn from a pillow which I recovered from a debris pile in the Bay, and a face I made from polymer clay. 16" x 18"

Copper Beach was made from a lid to a copper box with a raised shell, a copper platter, a furniture fragment and a charger plate.

Saint in a Blue Box (perhaps this is Joan of Arc?) is made from a battered plaster statue, a fragment of molding, a painted Mexican mirror, and the drawer from a piece of fine furniture. 10" x 23"

Saint Mary was made from one of those little car statues that can be found in New Orleans shops, a fragment of molding, a small cigar box, a lid to an oval powder case, and a metal serving platter.

Altar: Mother Mary was made from a a plaster Saint, a sewing machine drawer, a fragment of molding, and a rusted planter box which I salvaged from what was left of a craft supply store in Waveland. Two candles fit on either side of the figure. 11" x 17" x6". Wall piece or freestanding.

Fate of the Coast is a new favorite. The backdrop for this piece is a very large silver platter which was recently given me by my friendNancy, who lost her home in Pass Christian. She held on to her salvaged silver for 17 months, and finally decided to give it to me. This kind of thing has happened many times, and it never fails to touch my heart. The fact that people can give up things which meant so much to them so that they can be reincarnated into something beautiful again is, to me, a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. The platter is mounted into a fragment of furniture-a base of some kind. Standing in front of the silver is a gorgeous old scale which comes from post-Katrina New Orleans. More fine silver in the form of goblets and a cylinder complete the piece. 22" x24" x 8" freestanding.

Guest for Tea is put together from a fragment of a painting by an unknown artist, a piece of plywood, a placemat, a fragment of pottery, a clay face and another surprise find.
Over a year after the storm, my husband found this tiny fragment-the cowrie shells on strings of leather-of what was once a large mixed media piece which I had given him for a wedding gift.

Cinco de Mayo was buit around one of several ceramic masks which I bought in Mexico years ago. I paited it with a broken fan blade, a handle to an outside spigot, a piece of decorative plastic and a picture frame fragment, then painted the pieces to complement the mask.

Caribbean is an involved piece whose color scheme was inspired by a chance meeting about 4 years ago. A woman came in to the gallery with a purse in these colors, and they have stayed on my mind. Underneath all that acrylic paint is a cupboard door, two halves of a furniture leg, three brass knobs, a displaced carved wooden head, a metal bowl, and two more wooden furniture fragments. 20" x 38"

Offering was created from an elegantly shaped brass piece from India, a piece of moulding, a fragment of a mirror, a drawer and an acrylic charger. 13" x 18" x 5"

Liberty is created around a replica of the Statue of Liberty, which I saw for the first time a couple of months ago. It is mounted inside a shadowbox with a gilt frame added on top. Behind Liberty is a curved piece of glass with a metal grid, and a fragment of one of my paintings. 12" x 15" x 7" deep. Free Standing.

Heavy Metal Egret is created around what is left of a metal egret from a store in Bay St. Louis. It is layered upon a battered piece of plywood, a metal form and the lid to a barrel of some kind, and a piece of metal shelving. The "wings" are the supports for the shelf. 44" x 17"

Complements is composed from a broken piece of pottery, an aluminum charger, and a painted piece of board. 13" x 19"

Rusty Garden is fashioned from some of my favorite pieces of debris. I was immediately captivated by the rusted screen which serves as the support for the piece, and fell in love with the flattened wastebasket the minute I laid eyes upon it. The square piece of wood acts as a physical support for the piece, and the battered gold frame is the perfect surround for the image of the Garden of Eden. 34" x 34"

Love Angel is a small piece which consists of an oval piece of wood, a plaster butterfly and an acrylic angel. 11" x 7"

House of Katrina is very much about the serendipitous joining of unrelated objects to form a piece that has a strong visual impact. Its elements include a lopsided disc of plywood; handmade paper; acrylic paint; parts of a wooden chair; hand painted paper and fabric; an old knife and fossilized ammonite. On another level it points to the special difficulties faced by the Asian communities in the aftermath of the storm. As difficult as it was for us to cope with the scarcity of information immediately after the storm, it must have been much worse for people who did not speak English. 21" x 22"

Dreadlocked Angel is made from a wooden carving of a human body and another, mismatched wooden head. The pieces are layered on a cabinet door, which is mounted on a boogie board. Plaster wings and some wonderfully textured yarn finish the piece. 20" x 35"

Mexican Copper incorporates a copper pan which I purchased in Mexico many years ago. Katrina flattened it for me, and left it in my backyard for me to find. It is paired with a ceramic lid to a lost pot, a shredded piece of plywood, a placemat, and a boogie board. 19" x 37"

Treasures is made from a beautiful, chubby porcelain doll leg given to me by my friend Kevin Fitzpatrick. The leg is mounted on a framed mirror and accompanied by a ceramic wing. The round element is a piece of woven plant material, and the support for the piece is a cabinet door.

Abstracted Angel is constructed from a board, a violin bow, a chain, a rusted metal piece, a fragment of an air conditioner unit and another piece of copper and tubing on board, and a furniture fragment. 21" x 70"

Lost in the Woods is about the human tragedy of Hurricane Katrina. We have all been broken and traumatized by the storm, and the lives which we once knew, symbolized by the flowers, gloves and beads, have been changed forever. The piece is comprised of a porcelain doll, silk flowers, mardi gras beads, beaded glove, fan blade and a recovered painting. 20" x 24"

Amonite Angel is an abstracted human form which features a fossilized ammonite, with its counter clockwise rotational scheme. I am not sure what the central piece of carved wood really is, or where I picked it up-as we approach the year anniversary of the storm, I am begining to forget the source of many of the pieces of debris. Polymer wings and a cowl made from a fragment of a wooden bowl and two battered pieces of plywood complete the piece. 13" x 20"

The pieces following this post have been sold.

The Beginning II, from the Reliquary series, also began with the rescued collage of fossil and handmade paper from a gallery near the beach. 16" x 15" x 2". SOLD

The Beginning I 22" x24" x2" This piece, part of the Reliquary series, features a small collage made from a fossil, cloth, and handmade paper. This collage rode out Katrina in a gallery half a block from the beach in Bay St. Louis; I recovered it several weeks after the storm. In this incarnation, I have paired it with several pieces of plywood, enhanced with a stucco-lo=ike finish, and acrylic paint. SOLD

Koi Pond features a panel from an antique Chinese wedding bed. It is mounted on a piece of rusty tin, a furniture fragment, and a painted metal platter. SOLD

Mumford Award for Peace. Recently, I was contacted by a representative of the national group Architects, Designers and Planners for Social Responsibility to create for them this year's Mumford Awards, which honors people and organizations that exemplify ADPSR’s goals of peace, preservation of the natural and built environment, and socially responsible development. I was thrilled to be able to accomodate them. SOLD

This first one was an especially enjoyable one for me to create, because of a story I will relate a few sentences down. I began the piece with the curved wood element which was once part of a rocking chair. It was given to me only recently by a friend who is still sorting through her debris. I mounted it upon a piece of elaborate moulding and suspended three pieces of metal from the wood. On the smallest disc is painted a symbol for peace, the Pax Cultura. There is a great story about this piece, too- about two weeks before I was first contacted by the group, my husband came to me with a small lump of rust in which was embedded the piece of turquoise from the shell on the environment award. I was really happy, because this piece of turquoise was the first thing we had found from the treehouse-I kept all my jewelry supplies up there, including a treasure of semi precious stones, amber and coral. I turned the lump of rust over to see the back side, and discovered that it had formed upon a small political pin which I had in my collection of campaign pins. It had the letters "ABR" in black on a white background, and it had been given to me, in the 1980s, by Dr. Helen Caldicott, a past winner of one of their peace awards! When I googled ADPSR and saw that she had been a recipient, I had to find a way to incorporate it in to the award. 10" x 13"

Wise Man is a piece done later in the series, when I was no longer focusing so intently on the storm. The owner of a local antique and gift store generously gave me permission to rummage through the rubble of her shop, and I emerged with several damaged figures. Wise Man is one of these, and is about finding pieces which fit well with another. It is composed of the plaster figure, a crushed basket, a decorative tin, and a piece of board. 21" x 21" SOLD

Mumford Award for Socially Responsible Development. It is composed from actual elements of a structure, as well as elements which remind us of graceful living in our homes. I formed the base of the piece from a fragment of a round, carved wooden bowl which rests upon two pieces of wood flooring. Three rusted doorplates form the vertical element of the piece, and resting on top of the plates is an architectural fragment. In front and center is a carved and painted wood finial which rests upon a napkin ring. Creating this piece, I reflected upon the challenges we face here on the coast as we struggle to rebuild after the storm. Our wetlands are beig threatened by overdevelopment, and our towns are in serious danger of losing the genuineness and charm which made us unique. The arched element at the top and the door plates represent our need for security in our homes, while the finial and napkin ring are symbolic of our spiritul need for beauty in our lives. 14" x 12" SOLD

Carved Cross features a lovely purchased cross mounted upon a painted wood bowl which came from a debris pile here in the Bay. SOLD

Third World starts with a doll that has been laying around since right after the storm.I paired it with another of those metal and parchment things, and adhered it to a fan blade and a battered metal vent cover. Two circular pieces of metal and a block of wood for the base complete the piece. SOLD

Kachina started with the leather and metal "head"which is actually a small drum. I paired it with an antique chopstick holder, the "arms" are fragments of small boxes, and the back pieces consist of a wood plate and the rusty front to a fan. SOLD

Sun God centers around the brass head with small chains. I placed it atop another metal fragment, and a copper fan, added the rusty door plate and the brass shoe and used a fragment of furniture for the support. SOLD

Cross on Metal starts with a purchased ceramic and metal cross.I layered it on a piece of painted metal, a beautifully patinaed piece of sheet copper and a battered paint tray holder. SOLD

A Cross for Susan. This piece was commissioned by Susan, a good friend of mine. She wanted it as a gift for her church in Grand Junction, Colorado. I was so happy to be able to make it for her, as Susan was a volunteer down here with the Red Cross after the storm. I have been lucky enough to get to know her on her subsequent trips back here, and was able to visit her in her home and meet her husband Brian and their two beautiful daughters. The piece was made from a damaged metal cross, a circular piece of wood from some piece of furniture (I think!) , a salvaged ceramic tile and a wooden board which I painted and distressed to match the tile. 8" x 11". SOLD

Celtic Cross starts with a purchased metal cross. I layered it with the lid to a small barrel, and two fragments of furniture. SOLD

Toolbox Mermaid is a fun piece which starts with a smashed drawer from a metal toolbox, a painted piece of metal and a Mexican tin mermaid from post-Katrina New Orleans. SOLD

Good Dog/Bad Dog V is the smallest of the Good Dog series. This piece is composed from the alvaged metal sculpture, a painted wooden tray with three compartments, and a piece of plywood which I painted. 15" x 9" SOLD
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Parlor Lamp features a smashed copper lamp in pieces, a fragment of a tapestry I found on the beach in Clermont Harbor, and a wooden serving tray. 17" x 25" SOLD

Bust is created from a plastic doll head and torso, a piece of scrap wood, a drawer knob, a wooden box, a metal strainer and a wire fan. 13" x 21" SOLD

Good Dog Bad Dog VII starts with the metal frontpiece, and is layered on an old Mississippi license plate, a piece of wood flooring and a painted platter. SOLD

House of the Dragon is a small piece which features an old Chinese coin and a Victorial door lock-probaby a reproduction-and a purchased brass dragon. They are mounted upon a fragment of fine furniture which came from a house in Pass Christian. SOLD

Mumford Award for Preservation of the Natural and Built Environment. This piece is composed from debris which includes a wooden furniture leg, two pieces of wood flooring, a brass platter with birds attached to the surface, a shell, a piece of turquoise, and a metal horned toad which came from post-Katrina New Orleans. The shell and the flowing lines of the furniture leg symbolize the waters of the earth, while the small piece of turquoise indicates our wealth of natural resources. The roundness of the platter echoes the shape of our planet, and the birds and the horned toad remind us of the earth's fauna. 11" x 11" SOLD

My Heart is on the Coast is about the people who have not been able to return home. I know many of them, and I can only imagine the homesickness they endure. The piece is made from two scrap pieces of plywood, a piece of sheet copper, some rusty nails, a rusty chain and padlock that I found in the woods behind m hme, and a small metal box with a fragment of a necklace I had in my studo. SOLD

Stella's Teacup is a piece I made for my friends Paul and Stella LaViolet. They gave me the cup, which was the only piece of the set that they were able to recover, and the fragment of flooring which serves as the support for the piece. They had a lovely home on the beach in Waveland; only a slab remains. While the teacup and plank call to mind the beauty of their home, I added the flowers as a reminder of the property itself, which was equally as beautiful. The cup and flowers are framed by a sewing machine drawer. 8"x 20" SOLD

A Cross for Sidney was a commissioned piece. It was created from a metal cross, one of those spikey metal things used in fastening trusses together, the cover from an old pocket sized bible, a piece of wood which I painted and stamped with Asian characters, and a piece of scrap wood for the support. SOLD

Angel with a Rusty Heart is composed from a broiler pan, a Mexican tin case with a glass door, and a wooden angel. The angel is one of several which I purchased recently, and she is like us-our hearts are a bit rusty and battered, but they are still beating strongly! 13" x 15" SOLD

The Mississippi Development Authority recently asked me to create a unique cover for their presentation to the Travel Industry Association's National Council of State Tourism Directors Mercury Awards for excellence and creative accomplishment in state tourism marketing and promotion. They were going to focus their presentation on the achievements of the European Journalist project, so I decided to make the cover very similar to the pieces I created as gifts from the state to the journalists. I incorporated two of my storm photographs, several different kinds of handmade paper, some mirror tiles from that smashed disco ball, and some pennies with the "Katrina Patina" evident. 12" x 16" SOLD

How to Feng Shui a Life is an intriguing piece on a couple of levels. The gold frame that serves as the support for the piece was salvaged from the 8 foot tall debris piles outside of Chessy's Antiques, which was on the beach in Bay St. Louis. Layered on top of the frame is a fragment of a piece of furniture painted with an oriental design which came from Pass Christian, and on top of that is glued an oval mirror which has lost most of it's coating. The final element is a feng shui compass I picked up recently in Richmond, Virginia. It is actually a gorgeous magenta color, which does not come through in this image. 22" x 14" SOLD

Circle of Life has at its center another one of the dozens of dolls I recovered from debris piles in Bay St. Louis and Waveland. The Native American appearing doll is embraced by a wooden hoop, and rests upon a beautiful piece of embroidered cloth embellished with mirrors and cowrie shells, which I discovered in an antique shop in Texas. The cloth rests inside a shallow box, which in return is mounted upon a rusted metal serving platter. 20" diameter. SOLD

Ave Maria started with the beautiful framed reproduction of an old painting. I layered it with some salvaged silver and the ornately painted piece of wood. 12"x 14" SOLD

Warrior was created from a silver serving platter, a fragment of a picture frame, the feather trim from a pillow, a square bamboo tray and a painted African mask. SOLD

Saints is a piece about the recovery of New Orleans. My friend Russell told me recently that the fleur de lis, an established symbol of the city, has taken on a new, post Katrina meaning. It now symbolizes the recovery efforts in this battered city we love. The old ceiling tin is mounted upon another piece of embossed tin and a cupboard door. 17" x 22" SOLD

Ivory Tower began with the carved bone elephant from one of my salvaged necklaces. I paired it with a metal picture frame, a painted acrylic charger, a small drawer, and a coaster from my home. My beautiful granddaughter Ayden used to love to play with those coasters. SOLD

Beyond the Primitive started with the wonderful wood and metal musical instrument which I picked up on a recent trip to Virginia. I am not sure of its origin-perhaps it is African, perhaps Indonesian. The figure on the front is a somewhat silly looking angel, and the medallions on either side have Hindu designs. I salvaged these elements from the mud in my back yard, and the red metal tray is also from a debris pile. 13" x 19" SOLD

Family Story is comprised of a painted wooden table with its legs attached in an unusual place. It is topped by a painted metal shelf from a plant cart, and a wonderful; metal container which came from an antique shop in Jackson, Mississippi. Pieces of handmade paper with Chines characters are emerging from the container. 32" x 32" SOLD

The following series in The Katrina Collection came to be when I received a request from the Mississippi Development Authority to create pieces for twenty journalists from six Western European nations who were to be touring the coast. I was very happy to have been chosen to represent my state, and thrilled to be creating a new series. The circumstances dictated that the pieces must be basically two dimensional and small enough to easily fit in a suitcase. After meeting those requirements, I had free rein to create.

I decided that each piece had to be loaded with symbolism. I chose various elements to convey several different ideas. Each piece has at least one rusty nail or screw. These represent all that was left of so many homes along the coast. Each piece also contains at least one piece of some shattered mirror tiles which were taken from a smashed disco ball which I found on the beach in Waveland. These elements recall the beauty of our lost homes. Tarnished coins recovered from my back yard adorn each one as well; these represent the overwhelming financial burden caused by the storm. The coins have a double meaning however; I chose pennies, with their portrait of Abraham Lincoln, to also represent the best of my country and our determination to overcome our present difficulties. The pieces also include keys, strips of wood and metal, and various other detritus from Katrina's wrath.

Each piece contains a different image of the storm. These images are from photos which I took in the weeks following Katrina. All of these pictures are etched into my brain and bring forth some very painful memories. The images have been distressed, altered with acrylic paint, and mounted on pieces of plexiglass which I scavenged from a debris pile. On the back side of the plexiglass, I have mounted segments of stories written by my dear friend Ellis Anderson. Ellis began collecting stories at the same time I started collecting debris, and her work is powerful and moving. Her stories may be accessed at http://katrinapatina.blogspot.com. The titles of each piece in the series are taken from the stories which are part of each piece.

Finally, I layered each piece with fragments of paintings, old photos, torn fabric, book covers, pieces of paper, and other bits and pieces. All of these elements, as well as the plexiglass and plywood supports, were recovered from piles of storm debris.

My thanks to Mary Straton Smith and Kristen McCaskill of the Mississippi Development Authority, Tourism Division, for this terrific opportunity.

Wiped Off the Map 11" x 14" SOLD

Wall of Water 11" x 14" SOLD