Oil-based clay with hand-designed armature. This sculpture perished in the 2020 Talent, OR wildfire. Fortunately there is one version of her in bronze!

It's hard to tell from this image, but Ida is actually a selkie (seal/human from Celtic mythology), who has crawled out of her sealskin. Here she sits perched on it, contemplating new horizons...

Before the patina and welding her arm back on!

the Sanskrit word for emptiness, शून्यता, comes from the root śvi, meaning “hollow.” In my Buddhist studies, I'm curious about this etymology: “hollow” feels more presenced to me than “empty.” Hollow reminds me of a flute or passage: an opening through which presence can flow. This understanding of a through-space helps me resonate with emptiness as a form of interbeing.

Fish woman is a grandmother who lives in the upper shamanic world, above clouds much like a frozen lake. She breaks the necks of fish, stirs stew, and—if you're lucky—offers advice!

Created at Dhamma Dena Meditation center, Joshua Tree, CA