My Clay Work from 2010-2011 represented a departure from my usual method of scultping in wood.  During this pivotal year, I was under much duress and clay became a therapy of sorts.  Many of these clay sculptures were inspired by people highlighted on the front pages of The New York Times. The diverse stories that inspired my work ranged from the Arab Spring uprising to the bank bailout and the Tsunami in Japan.  Political works such as Take the Money and Run depict four CEO’s from four separate financial institutions that collapsed as a result of 2008 financial crisis. Each of these CEO’s reaped tremendous payouts during the bank bailout while Main Street investors were wiped out. The final work from this period was my attempt to look at the positive in order to transcend what I was feeling at the time. Dreams of Our Ancestors portrays seven women, each of whom had a profound impact on world religion.  Women such as: Sun Bu’er, the first Taoist; St. Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Native American ever canonized by the Catholic Church; Margaret Fell Fox, who was known as the mother of the Quakers and was the founder of the Religious Society of Friends.  These seven women are all together, resting, communing and dreaming together on a pillow.  It was the strength and energy from these dynamic women that helped to heal my distress. Completing this clay series allowed me to return to my chosen medium of wood with renewed focus and inspiration.