Showgirl as Psychopomp
On a most intimate level the pieces in this series were created as a tribute to my father, the former president of 'Holiday on Ice' (ice show); who died in 1998.
Growing up in such a unique and stimulating environment had a profound impact upon my life, character and mode of self-expression. Here I use the image of 'the showgirl', who might usually be viewed in a rather 'carnal' light, as a sublime guide and luminary of the psyche.
This flamboyant beauty draws the soul ever deeper into the unconscious/cosmic realms. She is both 'vehicle' and 'gate' through which the viewer may transcend the 'delicious manifestations' of the physical world and temporarily gain access into the eternal. As a reflection of life, she is by nature a paradox; sensual yet hard, 'cartoonish' yet grave, carefree yet threatening and occasionally cruel.
