Gwen Murphy - Foot Fetish

Artist Gwen Murphy turns old shoes into works of art by giving them faces. She uses ash clay and acrylic paint to create those bugged-out eyes ,dreary lids, pouty lips and long faces.

"I see a shoe as a kind of fetish, because it has a presence and the power to protect and transport us. Since I was a very young child, I have looked at shoes and found them looking back at me, each pair with its own personality and facial expression. When shoes are lined up near a door or in a closet, they are trusty steeds waiting to serve. Mouths yawning open, they sometimes look sleepy or grouchy. Sometimes they look like they are singing. They are like a better species of beings made entirely of pairs of identical twins. This series of sculptures is my way of bringing forth the presence I see in each pair of shoes."
– Gwen Murphy