Examples of Artistic Work

Mini Grottos & Offering Bowls

mini grotto with four offering bowls of various sizes arranged at its base. The grotto is filled with dried yellow roses and dried flowers are in two of the offering bowls, as well.

Inspired by the grotto in the yard outside and the Virgin Mary statue at the end of the main hall of the all-girls Catholic high school I attended as a teenager, these ceramic mini-grotto sculptures can be used as candle holders or for offerings like flowers, herbs, rocks, or essential oils, crystals, or any other sacred objects. The grottos themselves range in size from 4  -10 inches tall and about 3 - 5 inches around at their bases. The offering bowls are between 1 - 5 inches in diameter and roughly an inch deep.

Cornicello

2 larger red cornicelli, a medium black cornicello standing upright, and 5 small red and black cornicelli scattered in front of them. Cornicelli are curved "horns".

The cornicello (little horn) is a traditional symbol of spiritual protection against malocchio (evil eye). I make these sculptures from clay and fire them with bright red, a color associated with protective energy, and black for absorbing energy, for receiving blessings. The largest piece pictured here is roughly ten inches high and about 2 inches around at its base. The littlest ones laying down are only about 2 inches long, intended to be worn as pendants around the neck for personal protection, or hanging from a rearview mirror, to protect the driver and all their passengers, or where ever protection is needed.

Prayer Pouches

4 prayer pouches in a row, a trans pride symbol on black, "all land back" on red, rainbow progress flag on black, and a rosemary sprig on red fabric. The pouches are embroidered in the shape of circles
trans pride flag embroidered on a black circle; Pride Prayer Pouches, May we be safe, may we be loved, may we belong

Prayer pouches are my riff on traditional Southern Italian brevi or santucci,  small pouches of red fabric wrapped around sacred herbs or a saint’s image and tucked inside an undergarment, against the skin, to invite the prayer into the body. These are my first attempt at embroidery, a craft my nonna tried to teach me when I was young but I’m only now starting to be curious about. Each prayer pouch is roughly 1.5 - 2 inches, cut from scraps of fabric, stuffed with dried rosemary, Mediterranean Sea salt, and sometimes dried flower petals. As I make them, I pray. For example, when I make trans pride prayer pouches, I pray: “May we be safe, may we be loved, may we belong” over and over again until the pouch is complete.

Pinecone Talismans

Pinecone Talismans are my interpretidon of traditional pigna sculptures, objects quite familiar to me as they could be found in most of the homes of my Italian-American neighbors and relatives as I was growing up. I consider them to be a spell and a prayer for renewal, vitality, rebirth, rejuvenation, aliveness, fire energy, creativity, sexuality, passion, excitement, and adventure. These are small polymer clay sculptures, about 2-3 inches high and 2 inches wide.

Meditation Cards

These hand drawn and painted meditation cards are an evolution of the Catholic “holy cards” my nonna always kept in a neat pile on her bathroom windowsill. While holy cards feature images of saints and bible verses, mine are inspired by Mount Etna, the sky, snowflakes, desert scapes, clouds, and other natural elements and beings. The cards drawn/painted and then adhered to heavy card stock. They can be used as a focal point during prayer and meditation. I use watercolor, acrylic paint pens, and colored pencils to make these small cards, ranging in size from 4 inches square to rectangles of about 3x6 inches or so.