it's not a tumor

2012 - steel wire, found objects, spray foam

This is the first "my stomach hurts" sculpture I made. For most of my life, I have had what my mother politely called "tummy trouble." Nobody ever suggested that it was anything other than nerves. Everyone always just advised me to "relax." If only it were so simple.

It wasn't until I was diagnosed with full-blown Complex Regional Pain Syndrome in 2023, after months of being housebound with godawful foot pain, that I started to get a handle on my digestive symptoms. The most helpful thing I've found for chronic pain is Dan Buglio's Pain Free You channel on YouTube.

These days I would never tell myself, "It's not a tumor." I find it's better to say, "This is not as comfortable as I'd like, but it's temporary and I am okay."

"It's not a tumor" is a better title, though.

The stomach is a smaller sculpture, filled with spray foam insulation and studded with rusty nails:

The skirt is weed-blocker fabric: