Hodgepodge Heart
A Hodgepodge Heart is often referring to a cross-stitch pattern or a lovey-dovey collage, but I like to think about it more as a state of being. To have a Hodgepodge Heart is to see the broken pieces of life, the world, the trash on the ground, as simply pieces of pre-art. Broken is not just beautiful in its own right; broken is an opportunity. A Hodgepodge Heart feels that.
So much of my art is made up of a hodgepodge of materials, methods, and adhesive “strategies.” I have always been like that, but it wasn’t until recently that I found a metaphor in it.
I have been struggling with injustice, and the fear that art might be pointless when faced with such a huge threat.
The point is that art is resistance. Living is resistance. Not giving up is resistance. Community is resistance. And Art is living, not giving up, and community building.
I could stop doing my art because I am afraid, but then I think of everyone who has stopped while I am working outside to encourage me. I have never had a stronger connection to my neighbors than since I started the outside art.
Just a few weeks ago, someone stopped to say, “I love your wall so much. Don’t stop what you’re doing. You are building community.” It felt like he was speaking directly to my broken little hodgepodge heart.
I also do murals, mosaics, welding, fabric art, sculpture, stone art, and writing. Examples of my work can be seen all over the site, and I am always adding more. If you are interested in commissioning me for a project, collaborating, or sharing your work, email me [email protected]!
I’m also interested in creating a platform for other artists and writers and creators. I want anyone with a Hodgepodge Heart to unite, and I have a space here for other makers and thinkers. My dream scenario is one in which people who are interested in creative works can come to the Hodgepodge space to find someone, and makers and thinkers can be found.
Check out Friends of the Hodgepodge House!