Tuesday, April 24, 2007

SLEEP


I don't think I've had even one good night's sleep since mom died. Sometimes I have trouble falling asleep and sometimes I have trouble staying asleep. Sometimes I stay up later than usual because I dread going to bed. My head hits the pillow and immediately I start thinking of mom and then remembering ... and then crying. Also, hot flashes have returned to disrupt my sleep. My dr. thinks the stress of grieving has brought on the hot flashes.

I made this assemblage last year and she's titled "Menopause Woman". I had a lot of fun making her and I remember laughing out loud. I donated her to a non-profit group that I'm on the board of. She was auctioned off at a fundraiser and she sold for $500 !!!


Her body is a paper mache bodice that I bought at Michael's. I glued sandpaper to the body. She sits in a candle holder. Her arms are meat thermometers. In her stomach is a stove thermometer. Her skirt is some kind of metal stuff from my husband's workshop. Rusted buttons hang from her skirt. Her head is the part of a lamp that holds the light bulb. There's a reflection in the photo so you can't see that she has a face and it is covered by a piece of mica and in back of the face is a clock face. One boob has on it the numerals "56" - the age that I created the assemblage. The other boob opens up - maybe you can see the hinge - and there's a heart hanging inside the body's cavity. I've rubber stamped words on the body - naming all the "pleasant" effects of menopause, like hot flashes, dryness, crabbiness, etc.

There's a white porcelain handle at about crotch level that reads "hers" and there's a chain with a lock that wraps around the porcelain handle and the candle holder that she sits in. Embedded in her back is a small box that holds the key to open the lock and there's a saying that I found that I forget right now, but it is a very positive message about being a woman and aging.


4 comments:

Anonymous said...

hi, Wendee,
I found your blog through Sue Pieper's, and hope you'll enjoy blogging as much as I do.
it took me a while to get into the swing of posting on a regular basis, but it's now a full-fledged habit.
I LOVE the menopause woman - been there, done that!
all the references, very clever!
and I, too, am a motherless child, and know some of what you're feeling right now.
as I got older, I realized there were more & more of us, and I have a list of "orphans" - friends & relatives who no longer have there mothers - that I call every year on Mother's Day.
it's odd, I'm also an only child, and have no children, and several of these on my list are in the same boat.
it helps to just stay in touch.
take care, keep remembering, and crying, if you need to - it all helps.

Anonymous said...

Wendee, it's so tough to lose a parent, and takes time-allow yourself whatever time it takes to find a "new normal". It's probably too new & too raw for you to do art about her, but it'll come. Remember when you finally were able to do art after losing your dog (and no, I'm not comparing the 2!)you felt better, and you told me to do the same for Gopher when the time was right. Don't rush any of the process, just let it happen. You have my # if you need to talk-I'll have the tissue box handy!

easyjourney said...

How clever, I love her! And how generous of you to donate it to a good cause, how lucky is the recipient!

Corinne said...

this sculpture/assemblage is fantastic! Sending you hugs for this time - I've lost my dad - 12 years ago...it's like yesterday, but it doesn't hurt in a bad way anymore...

Just wanted you to know I care and wanted to thank you for sharing.
xxoo