Altered E Art

I have long been attracted to the energy of ridiculous to wear but somehow wonderful to see high-heeled or unusual-heeled shoes. I'm a Crocs/Mary Jane person myself, but I have been working with using shoes as containers for many years. 

I love to fill them with things and body parts. The 'meaning' in these pieces usually eludes me, but I find them compelling to do and enjoy them immensely.  I know there's a cosmic joke within them but I don't get the content, only the laugh.

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About the SHOES

Most of the shoes come from Goodwill and other thrift shops, with occasional donations by friends.  I collect them at random. 

At times theme evolve from the shoe itself.  The Carmen Miranda shoe is a great example of this.  At other times, a theme comes present and I may hunt for a shoe to match it.  Most often, idea, shoe, items on hand simply come together and emerge as a piece. 

Typically I’m drawn to add a human element, doll heads, faces peeking through flowers, dolls and arms or legs.  As always, I find the doll parts echo aspects of who one is, who we are. 

The shoes are usually free-flow, free-form expressions – art of the moment.  They are rarely thematic of my personal inner work, which is more typical for the torsos and boxes. 

Although I store many of my art elements, I always have an array of my favorite things out and about – shoes, boxes, dolls and doll parts, flowers, etc.  In this way, I am always subconsciously considering what might come together.