Artwork copyright Martha Shade. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission.

Artwork copyright Martha Shade. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission.

Wild Dog Thoughts, 1993

Martha Shade
American (born 1963)

Location: Beaver Lake Middle School, Issaquah

About the Artwork

Artist Martha Shade created the sculpture Wild Dog Thoughts by layering paper pulp over a wire form. It is part of her body of work created after she was diagnosed with an autoimmune blood disease. She notes that her work "reflected the experience and thoughts and feelings that arose from it. It wasn't the condition per se, but rather my perception of it, which inspired me to make the work. I discovered interesting dichotomies in my reactions to the idea of the body attacking itself, and the sense of the betrayal and the split with mind that it implied… In expressing the confines of mind, I also aspired to encompass a larger and more joyful mystery."

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Issaquah School District.

About the Artist

Seattle-based artist Martha Shade creates figurative ceramics, prints, and textile artworks. Born in Colorado, she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Arizona, and pursued graduate studies at Louisiana State University. She has lived in Seattle, Portland, Oregon, and Albuquerque, New Mexico.