ALAN TIBBETTS
In 1635 the shoemaker Henry Tibbetts left Great Britain for the U.S and every generation since Henry landed, right up to my father, has been involved in the making of shoes. This got me to thinking about shoes and what a rich source they could be for artistic exploration. Shoes are functional and expressive and they are with us pretty much every step of the way through our lives. As a bipedal species, we move through our lives perpetually on our feet and it is our feet that connect us to the earth. Essentially our life’s journey is spent on foot.

There are so many ways to think about shoes and what they envelope: the stories- real or imagined - which encompass human history, anatomy, cultural particularities, and of course, our own personal history.

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Shoe Portraits

Picture
   Sandy’s Shoe is a portrait in honor of my late cousin, Sandra Kehoe who passed in 2014 at the age of 71.
   Sandy was an incredible  mom, spouse, grandma, nurse and vibrant soul. I made this piece as a gift to my
   three cousins, her sons, and I set out to incorporate elements that would directly and indirectly capture her legacy.

Picture
  1.    1. Amethyst crystal, one of Sandy’s birth stones
  2.    2. 3 pieces of turquoise, another birth stone, representing her three sons
  3.    3. Photos of hydrangeas from her yard
  4.    4. A locket containing two photos: one a silhouette made when she was a little girl and the other her nursing graduation portrait    5. A lighthouse earring.  She was quite fond of the lighthouse motif and to me her presence was like that of a beacon.
  5.    6.Marsh heather…a favorite of hers
  6.    7. Interior of shoe is a composite painting based on folk art paintings that she made on furniture and various objects. She was             inspired by the work of Vermont folk artist Warren Kimble.
  7.    8. A 3 holiday snowman. Sandy loved the holidays and went above and beyond in her thorough home decor themes.
  8.        The head  represents Halloween, the middle winter/Christmas, and the bottom the 4th of July.
  9.    9. A small seagull feather to represent her spirit.   


Picture
  1.    A. From a wide collection of photographs across Sandy’s life I put together two montages upon which I painted. The left one    
  2.         represents family, the right one significant events from her life.

  3.    B. Sand and sea life. Sandy loved living close to the ocean.

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Foot Notes

I am working on an assemblage titled "Shine" which will be housed in an old shoe shine box. Included in the piece is a small photo book.
These are some of the images which will be included in that work.
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