In the vein of true folk art Harriet Bell conflates nature and fantasy to create Elena and the Birds and Heresy, mythical heroes, women, who contend with animals and the elements to find, raise, and carry their own voices -- to sing. Harriet's illustrative use of wood, paint, and gesso represent her contribution to demystifying our world, out of control. These "big toys", fantastic, life sized sculptures, vividly colored, magical and mysterious, rich with symbolism invite the viewer to speculate about the characters and their meaning. They create the tools to answer Harriet's question "what if adults used big toys to control the big world."

page created by Josh Weihnacht