This sculpture was made for an art show that was held in tribute to Elizabeth Short, known more by her popular name, The Black Dahlia.

2007 was the fiftieth anniversary of her murder. She has, over the years become one of the symbols of Los Angeles noir.

The challenge in such a piece is to resist using the imagery that already been presented and seen over and over.
I really wanted to convey her as a young woman, full of plans, hopes and dreams, yet somehow doomed. Her unsolved murder certainly cast a fabled story about troubled young beauty lost amongst those dreams that never seem to come true.

I wanted the piece to seem delicate, yet foreboding. I did use text from a popular book about the case to frame the tableau. I did that to give the ominous outer world a voice. She, the young woman is doing her best to make it through that world. No small task in a time where women’s options were very limited.

I was very pleased to be part of that show. Pleased further still to leave a kind and heartfelt tribute to this young lady.

The piece is titled, “She Was A Young Woman”.