Healing Rituals

After I was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002 my artwork - which has always been autobiographical - began to change. No longer did I work with toxic chemicals and processes to create large-scale metal sculpture and jewelry. Instead, I started using my metal scraps, natural materials and found objects to create assemblages that refer to the processes and rituals of holistic self-healing. These are a few images from that series.






This installation refers to my passion for flamenco and how my life changed as a result of the cancer. I continued dancing and tried to handle the added load of daily juicing, among other rituals. When I learned of the cancer recurrence in 2006 I stopped dancing so I could focus on my healing. I intend to resume flamenco dance and guitar when I'm able to devote more time to it.
These images were taken by Marilyn Zimmerman.