Interview With Cody Enterprise
How long have you lived in Wyoming?
We moved here in the 1950’s. My father was an eye doctor in Cody and my mother was a kindergarten teacher.
I am a teacher too. I teach special education, and I also teach a class at Northwest Collage in Powell.
Does the show at the Thistle have a name?
Yes, it is called “Lost and Found”
Are the pieces for the Thistle show part of the "Bookends" series?
Some of them are. I’ve also included a few “found object” assemblages and some fabric pieces as well.
Is this your first show in Cody and what are your thoughts about the show?
It is. I have had artwork in shows at the Nicolaysen Museum in Casper and I’ve shown at the Toucan Gallery in Billings and at the Lander Art Center. I’ve had a few pieces published in magazines. http://www.art-e-zine.co.uk/cweed.html
Where does the inspiration come from for your different pieces?
It usually starts with either an image or a scrap of text. I inherited some 1920’s photographs from an orphanage. When I look into each one of those little faces, I want to believe the children went on to happier times.
My great uncle Medley Johnson left Boulder, Colorado during the Depression to join the Barnum and Bailey Circus. I have some great shots that survived the fun. I used one of those images for "Oh Mr. Barnum, Please Save a Place for Me".
Text is always good; “Colors are friends of their neighbors and lovers of their opposites.” is a quote from Marc Chagall. It inspired a story for one of my pieces.
How long do you spend working on a piece?
Well, each piece tells a story and some stories are very short and some stories are very long. Right now I am working with a tiny pair of shabby old ballet shoes. They tell a story that is still unfolding.
The ballet shoes speak?
Yes, I took them with me to New Orleans last week.
Mixed media artists seem to use such a wide range of materials. What materials do you like to work with the most?
I love to bring destroyed and bedraggled books back to life. And buttons, all kinds of buttons. I have a box of ratty old lace and French lingerie ribbons. I like to include toys from my jar of Cracker Jack charms…then the lost images. They all have a history.