As Above/So Below
Cold finish clay sculpture on rusted metal tool drawer
21 x 14
The two figures represent the evolution of the same person moving from the rubble of restraint to release and joy.
Vessel of Light
cold finish clay sculpture with found metal, on stand
21 x 12 -Head is removable revealing hidden message inside vessel
Lifting the head of this sculpture of an ancient holy aboriginal shaman, you find within this vessel a reminder that reads,
'We are all but Vessels of Light.'
'We are all but Vessels of Light.'
Time Table
cold finish clay sculpture on stone with hand made tile floor
battery operated electric lights
22x20x11
press photo to see close ups
Seven figures of one individual at different stages throughout life. The 8th and final chair represents the chair of birth and death. The sculpture is set atop an aged tile floor resting on an architectural salvaged stone from India. Included is a metal base and battery operated electrical lighting over the figures. The crack in the table represents the flagrant violation of linear time as the figures of one individual suddenly find themselves together in the present moment interacting.
Time Table is a piece that explores the sense I have had all my life that time doesn’t exist as we experience it. In this piece I am seated at a table facing myself and interacting throughout time. While the 3 year old still joyfully, even wistfully, remembers the experience of time before birth and beginnings, the 6 year old giggles at the cosmic joke of it all as the 14 year old whispers secrets to her at the table. The pregnant figure blissfully folds into herself embracing new life as the 40 year old leans in with advice for herself as a new mother. The 60 year old has a good laugh at the absurdity and wonder of it all, and nearing death, the 90 year old turns again to reach for and welcome the empty chair symbolizing death and birth, her hands overflowing with the jewels of wisdom she has collected throughout her life journey. Having a near death experience at the age of 26 years old, has influenced my relationship and understanding of life and death by having a direct spiritual experience that I believe is reflected in this piece.
Albert Einstein concluded in his later years that past ,present, and future all exist simultaneously: “Physicists believe the separation between past, present, and future is only an illusion, although a convincing one.” Einstein joked when asked about the reason we have the concept of time, “Time is what prevents everything from happening at once.” In this sculpture we step out of our daily perceptions to embrace dinner at a Time Table of
Time Table is a piece that explores the sense I have had all my life that time doesn’t exist as we experience it. In this piece I am seated at a table facing myself and interacting throughout time. While the 3 year old still joyfully, even wistfully, remembers the experience of time before birth and beginnings, the 6 year old giggles at the cosmic joke of it all as the 14 year old whispers secrets to her at the table. The pregnant figure blissfully folds into herself embracing new life as the 40 year old leans in with advice for herself as a new mother. The 60 year old has a good laugh at the absurdity and wonder of it all, and nearing death, the 90 year old turns again to reach for and welcome the empty chair symbolizing death and birth, her hands overflowing with the jewels of wisdom she has collected throughout her life journey. Having a near death experience at the age of 26 years old, has influenced my relationship and understanding of life and death by having a direct spiritual experience that I believe is reflected in this piece.
Albert Einstein concluded in his later years that past ,present, and future all exist simultaneously: “Physicists believe the separation between past, present, and future is only an illusion, although a convincing one.” Einstein joked when asked about the reason we have the concept of time, “Time is what prevents everything from happening at once.” In this sculpture we step out of our daily perceptions to embrace dinner at a Time Table of
A Delicate Balance
Bronze figure on metal seesaw and base.
78"long x 35"high x18"wide
Figure rocks at touch. Indoor/outdoor.
In life, we often find ourselves in an uncertain state of delicate balance, an exquisitely intricate internal state that requires our ability to find our internal equilibrium. This bronze almost life size sculpture depicts the inner spirit of a young woman learning to find her own center balance.
"Balance the forces of light and dark, rage and serenity, the sacred and the profane and from it forge an identity that is powerful. -Deepak Chopra
This sculpture come with a Poem "As the Time Comes" by the artist. Excerpt:
"...until you find yourself spinning
luminous and
delighted
damp wings unfurled in the wind
Flinging yourself fearlessly
into the enormous, immeasurable, boundless
Unknown
Beauty
that is you."
"Balance the forces of light and dark, rage and serenity, the sacred and the profane and from it forge an identity that is powerful. -Deepak Chopra
This sculpture come with a Poem "As the Time Comes" by the artist. Excerpt:
"...until you find yourself spinning
luminous and
delighted
damp wings unfurled in the wind
Flinging yourself fearlessly
into the enormous, immeasurable, boundless
Unknown
Beauty
that is you."
The Journey
Salvaged machinery belt leather, salvaged burl ball, black base, cold finish porcelain figure
71" long x 18" wide x 28" high
Salvaged machinery belt leather, salvaged burl ball, black base, cold finish porcelain figure
71" long x 18" wide x 28" high
This sculpture depicts the long journey we take through life. The back of the porcelain figure looks worn from the journey while the front of the figure leans forward, wings projecting from the heart area where golden light pours forth.
"The only journey is the one within."
-Rainer Maria Rilke
"Not I, nor anyone else can travel that road for you.
You must travel it by yourself.
It is not far. It is within reach.
Perhaps you have been on it since you were born, and did not know.
Perhaps it is everywhere-on water and land."
-Walt Whitman
"But little by little,
as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice
which you slowly
recognized as your own,
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world
determined."
-Mary Oliver
"The only journey is the one within."
-Rainer Maria Rilke
"Not I, nor anyone else can travel that road for you.
You must travel it by yourself.
It is not far. It is within reach.
Perhaps you have been on it since you were born, and did not know.
Perhaps it is everywhere-on water and land."
-Walt Whitman
"But little by little,
as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice
which you slowly
recognized as your own,
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world
determined."
-Mary Oliver
Crossing Over
Found object, waxed fiber paper, cold finish porcelain sculpture, bamboo
36" x 11" x 15"
Sculpture can be hung from the ceiling or placed in a stand
Found object, waxed fiber paper, cold finish porcelain sculpture, bamboo
36" x 11" x 15"
Sculpture can be hung from the ceiling or placed in a stand
One of the most famous parables of the Buddha is the Parable of the Boat. In the story he likened his teachings to a boat for crossing a fast flowing river. It doesn't matter which boat one takes, it matters only that the river is crossed.
Psyche- click on main photo to turn
cold finish clay sculpture on found metal, turns 360 degrees
51 x 12
This sculpture represents Psyche’s journey, as the winds spin her around, and Psyche becomes still, listening to the Voice within. The new buds of her wings can be seen emerging. Like many of us, she carries her story indelibly tattooed on her.
The story of Psyche is a tale of a young woman who has listened to advice that has caused her life to collapse in chaos. In confusion and pain, she runs from the voices of others, as winds begin to blow wildly about her, engulfing her in a swirling hurricane of distress. Psyche runs down to the lake which is churning and suddenly, in a moment of personal and spiritual epiphany, she knows she must become utterly still. When she stills herself internally, the winds die down and the lake which is a metaphor for her psyche becomes deep, clear, and placid. In this moment of inner knowing, she begins the journey of becoming herself.
The story of Psyche is a tale of a young woman who has listened to advice that has caused her life to collapse in chaos. In confusion and pain, she runs from the voices of others, as winds begin to blow wildly about her, engulfing her in a swirling hurricane of distress. Psyche runs down to the lake which is churning and suddenly, in a moment of personal and spiritual epiphany, she knows she must become utterly still. When she stills herself internally, the winds die down and the lake which is a metaphor for her psyche becomes deep, clear, and placid. In this moment of inner knowing, she begins the journey of becoming herself.
Stillness-click on main photo to turn
cold finish clay on found metal
24x9x15 on 29" found metal that turns 360 degrees
This sculpture of a silent young woman quiet in her own beauty, set atop a booming "speaker" blaring the noise of the world represents Paublo Neruda’s beautiful poem, Keeping Quiet. Imprinted on the turning sculpture, is a remix of his poem:
For once on the face of the earth
let’s not speak
let’s stop for one second
not move so
It would be an exotic moment without rush
We would all be together
in a sudden strangeness.
For once on the face of the earth
let’s not speak
let’s stop for one second
not move so
It would be an exotic moment without rush
We would all be together
in a sudden strangeness.
The Lighthouse
Found metal, cold finish porcelain, battery operated light
26" high 8" wide x 6" deep
Found metal, cold finish porcelain, battery operated light
26" high 8" wide x 6" deep
Light floods out through both the window and a crack in the side of this Lighthouse leading the way.
"There is a crack, a crack in everything.
That's how the Light gets in."
-Leonard Cohen
"There is a crack, a crack in everything.
That's how the Light gets in."
-Leonard Cohen
Gauguin's Goddess
cold finish sculpture
14 x 19
In 2004, I had the privilege of spending time in French Polynesia, one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Swaying in the warm waters as white winged birds flew overhead and brightly colored fish and rays swam around me in the turquoise water, I was overcome with a sense of Oneness that was familiar and all encompassing. Gauguin's Goddess represents the fullness and fluid natural beauty reflected in water and within our own nature as she sits on a rock above the ocean. The ritual bowl she rests upon invites us to dip in our hands to wash the dust from off our eyes and awaken.
Spinning
This piece spins
Paint, words, collage and string on salvaged metal
12"x 3"x 61"
This piece spins
Paint, words, collage and string on salvaged metal
12"x 3"x 61"
When I found this piece I was giddy with the pleasure of it. Spinning wheels brought forth images of waterfalls, galaxies spinning into being and our own spinning world. Painted without a brush, using only my fingers and hands as brush and palate, this piece came alive from a deep place within, both playful and prayerful. A collaged piece of gold leaf tied with red string contains a prayer reminiscent of a mezuzah: “Only from the heart can you touch the sky.”-Rumi Red string is used in Buddhist, HIndu and Jewish cultures as a talisman for protection and as a sacred blessing. Hidden words on the wheels call up memories and images. Spinning the wheels causes endless new variations of color and paint and word much like the endless shifting of our ever changing reality. From Rumi this quote:
“We come spinning out of nothingness scattering stars like dust. ”
“We come spinning out of nothingness scattering stars like dust. ”
The Passionate Quest
Pages from old books, found objects, metal, porcelain, fiber
61" x 17"
Pages from old books, found objects, metal, porcelain, fiber
61" x 17"
Created from pages of old books, this sculpture illustrates the flow of life through the stages of our passionate quest flowing into a pool of The Living Present. The pages, taken from chapter headings of old books include, In the Beginning, Boyhood, The Elements, Man and Time, The Last Analysis, Laughter in the Dark. Each stage has quotes and passages, samplings from the books. Books include: The Origins and History of Consciousness by Erich Neumann,The Game by A.S. Byatt, , Man and Time edited by Joseph Campbell, and The Living Present by Gertude Atherton, The Last Analysis by Saul Bellow Laughter in the Dark by V. Nabokov
"Flow with whatever may happen and let your mind be free.
Stay centered by accepting. This is the ultimate."
-Zhuangzi, Chinese Philosopher
369 B.C.-286 B.C.
"Flow with whatever may happen and let your mind be free.
Stay centered by accepting. This is the ultimate."
-Zhuangzi, Chinese Philosopher
369 B.C.-286 B.C.
I Come Rounding
Poetry wheel sculpture on found metal. Poem by artist is read by moving the wheel.
46 x13
On the wheel is this Poem entitled, I Come Rounding:
I come rounding
drunk on the way
the world
enters my soul
gathers itself
curving
onto my palate
rolls languidly
off my tongue
I am drawn
to the roundest
of things
the way curves
soften our way,
the delicate
tentative reaching
we do to cross
our imagined divide
The way we come
to recognize
the arc of each other
as the nearness
of stars
swell pregnant
in the black expanse
and dusk
plumps the night air
with the whiteness
of jasmine
fragrantly
remembering rain
and in the heavens
the spheres turn
and in the heavens
the spheres turn
as the Universe
hums itself
spiraling into being
I come rounding
dizzied
by the flagrant
pleasure of it all
by the wheeling
tilt of earth
moist and muted
under my feet,
when by the
slightest fleeting
glance
I am captured
heart pounding
as time slows
deepening
enfolding me
in it’s rhythmic
fullness
leaving behind
only the
echo
and
vastness
of this
roundest of
days.
- Sandra Cohn
I come rounding
drunk on the way
the world
enters my soul
gathers itself
curving
onto my palate
rolls languidly
off my tongue
I am drawn
to the roundest
of things
the way curves
soften our way,
the delicate
tentative reaching
we do to cross
our imagined divide
The way we come
to recognize
the arc of each other
as the nearness
of stars
swell pregnant
in the black expanse
and dusk
plumps the night air
with the whiteness
of jasmine
fragrantly
remembering rain
and in the heavens
the spheres turn
and in the heavens
the spheres turn
as the Universe
hums itself
spiraling into being
I come rounding
dizzied
by the flagrant
pleasure of it all
by the wheeling
tilt of earth
moist and muted
under my feet,
when by the
slightest fleeting
glance
I am captured
heart pounding
as time slows
deepening
enfolding me
in it’s rhythmic
fullness
leaving behind
only the
echo
and
vastness
of this
roundest of
days.
- Sandra Cohn
Picasso's Tin Man
Salvaged metal, welded. Sculpture turns.
82" high x 34"
Salvaged metal, welded. Sculpture turns.
82" high x 34"
Picasso's Tin Man is a whimsical outdoor sculpture. Each piece of the sculptures spins.
Wedded to the Light
Dress form, salvaged packing paper,,electric lights, Hebrew scrolls, Trunk filled with memorabilia
from WWII, sound installation of poem Wedded to the Light by artist read over Kaddish, a Jewish prayer for the dead.
59" high by 22 wide on a stand that is 11" high and 17" by 17" wide.
Dress form, salvaged packing paper,,electric lights, Hebrew scrolls, Trunk filled with memorabilia
from WWII, sound installation of poem Wedded to the Light by artist read over Kaddish, a Jewish prayer for the dead.
59" high by 22 wide on a stand that is 11" high and 17" by 17" wide.
Wedded to the Light is an installation piece with sound that includes a stunning choral version of the Hebrew prayer, Kaddish, that backs original poetry of the artist being read aloud, lights and a trunk filled with ancestral items. Reminiscent of a wedding dress with a necklace that refers to Holland, Wedded to the Light is a piece that reflects the ancestral history we are wed to and how we heal, turning the darkness into light without neglecting or forgetting.
In Holland, where Anne Frank lived and hid and wrote her diaries, 70% of the Jews were killed. This homage to my ancestors is seen in the necklace of the dress and in the Hebrew papers and scrolls hidden within the skirts. Beneath that are the Lights of our souls that glow through.
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness.
Only Light can do that."
-Martin Luther King Jr
Wedded to the Light
In the way life arises.
In the mystery and the majesty
In the way we rise out of.
bearing traces of our ancestry
buried deep within
Unsettled heartaches and joys
Uncharted oddities and gifts
left behind like candles burning
with promise of lighting our way.
In the way Dark breeds Light
In the way Light breaths through Dark
In the way we unfurl
unlock.
release.
In the muted recognition
resurfacing from deep within.
In the way we develop a soft spot
a proclivity
to fall in love with Radiance.
In the way spirit weds us, beckons us
spiraling
into a vibrant affair
with the undying brilliance of Truth.
In This Way
Without forgetting.
without neglecting.
failing to admit or
leaving behind.
We become enfolded in the fullness
the hidden layers of our Being
igniting a brilliance manifest within us
It is with this Light we drive the Darkness out.
With breath blazing forth like Lightning.
-Sandra Cohn
In Holland, where Anne Frank lived and hid and wrote her diaries, 70% of the Jews were killed. This homage to my ancestors is seen in the necklace of the dress and in the Hebrew papers and scrolls hidden within the skirts. Beneath that are the Lights of our souls that glow through.
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness.
Only Light can do that."
-Martin Luther King Jr
Wedded to the Light
In the way life arises.
In the mystery and the majesty
In the way we rise out of.
bearing traces of our ancestry
buried deep within
Unsettled heartaches and joys
Uncharted oddities and gifts
left behind like candles burning
with promise of lighting our way.
In the way Dark breeds Light
In the way Light breaths through Dark
In the way we unfurl
unlock.
release.
In the muted recognition
resurfacing from deep within.
In the way we develop a soft spot
a proclivity
to fall in love with Radiance.
In the way spirit weds us, beckons us
spiraling
into a vibrant affair
with the undying brilliance of Truth.
In This Way
Without forgetting.
without neglecting.
failing to admit or
leaving behind.
We become enfolded in the fullness
the hidden layers of our Being
igniting a brilliance manifest within us
It is with this Light we drive the Darkness out.
With breath blazing forth like Lightning.
-Sandra Cohn
The Bees Have Stopped Coming, excerpt from Sonata in a Minor Key, Sensing Beauty
Found art, glass, battery powered lighting, handwritten poetry on waxed paper
18" high by 20" wide
Found art, glass, battery powered lighting, handwritten poetry on waxed paper
18" high by 20" wide
Excerpt from the poem, Sonata in a Minor Key, Sensing Beauty :
"The bees have stopped coming.
There were those of us who had wished our whole lives not to be stung.
But then we realized
being stung was not the worst thing that could happen to us.
We needed honey to sweeten our lives.
We needed the food to be pollinated.
We wanted them back.
But instead we got turquoise rain and cellos
and the slow swaying wonder of each other."
-Sandra Cohn
"The bees have stopped coming.
There were those of us who had wished our whole lives not to be stung.
But then we realized
being stung was not the worst thing that could happen to us.
We needed honey to sweeten our lives.
We needed the food to be pollinated.
We wanted them back.
But instead we got turquoise rain and cellos
and the slow swaying wonder of each other."
-Sandra Cohn
