A set of 15 casts from heirloom mold each individually modified, so titled to reference the number of castings in variety of materials and processes- two bronze, one aluminum, three lead crystal, three spruce pine glass, and six system 96 casting glass. Made in response to the relationship to animals I raised for food.

This work is as much about the form as it is the index. Each cast is a record of an object which no longer exists and cannot be brought back. Is the object in front of you is both an artwork and merely a ghost, the filling of a hollow in space and time, an index of that which was and wasn’t.  

This piece came to be out of the complicated space in my heart for animals. I spent several years working with livestock, raising and loving animals that then become objects of function after their death, often at my own hands. To love an animal is to feel pain; to feel pain is to understand an animal. The connection between humans and animals is both deep and hidden.

The Cow is a beast of burden; work is tied into the shape of her body. This particular cow shows this relationship so well. Her pose is potential: has she just reclined, or does she move to stand? She is both tired and prepared to move unendingly. Labor is a major part of this work. As a craftsperson, the process of creating is just as pertinent as the result. This work explores the process of casting through several materials both opaque and transparent. The layers of translation between positive and negative objects throughout the mold making process is particularly fascinating.