This recent work, Life on the Edge, reflects my feelings about the uncertainty that permeated nearly all aspects of the early Covid years (2020-21). The completed gull was designed to be hung at an angle, from the ceiling. I am honored that this work was acquired by a Board Member of the Museum of Art & Design in New York City.
The Life on the Edge theme is represented by a life-sized gull who, with spread wings, coasts out from a wave-lapped, sandy shore to wend its way over the ocean waters. When viewed from below, the bird’s appearance is intended to give a sense of gazing upward at distant, wind-blown cirrus clouds. (There’s nothing wrong with a little escapism, is there?)
View Gull sculpture in flight.
Life on the Edge (Gull)
Glass seed beads and thread, worked in peyote stitch over a hand-painted wooden core
L (beak to tail): 12″; W (wing tips): 23″
Private Collection, Florida
The below images show the work when in progress, at about one and a half months in. The painted surface of the wooden core was still visible in some areas.
Leslie B. Grigsby Beadwork 