An Echo In My Bones
It has always been important for me to chronicle every aspect of my life. I document my every experience in some way. I scribble my thoughts and recollections on bits of paper or hastily sketch to capture a moment. Later, looking at a photograph, an old letter, or a scrawled-on candy bar wrapper will draw me back to the past, to a moment that could have been lost in time. This exhibition is a recollection of my past experiences, an account of my personal views, and a look forward. The viewer can also recognize fragments of themselves within each piece.
These large, colorful abstract paintings are easy for anyone to approach. I start with large, sweeping strokes in various colors, each overlapping and complimenting the others. I then cover the entire piece in a solid color, leaving only small slivers of the original painting exposed. This layering is reminiscent of experiences and traits that make up individual people. The viewer can find their way around each piece in a similarly to finding a way through life’s journey.
I am fascinated by the hunt for lost treasures. I scour thrift stores looking for forgotten texts dealing with religion, sexuality, marriage, and family. Most of these books are at least thirty years old, some dating as far back as 1910. In some ways, I am appalled with the ludicrous and short- sided views about family, marriage and religion in these antique books. In other ways, I find myself and much of my culture still reflected in these volumes. By including bits of text from the Catholic Catechism, various books on sex and marriage, and choir hymnals in my work, I incorporate my personal struggles concerning family, religion and sexuality into the work.
Maps are meant to guide you from one place to another. They also aid in remembering places you have been as well as looking forward to places you will go. For me, they are not only a method of remembrance, but of finding my way. Art has always helped me map and chronicle my journey. I am not only finding my way, but also charting my struggles and progress along the way.
These bits of texts and maps are layered and hidden within the large, colorful abstract paintings. Just as it is difficult to know a person’s personal views and struggles by just looking at them, it is a challenge for anyone to look at these paintings and see the layers of views, experiences and personal struggles. It is most important for a viewer to look at these works and draw their own conclusions, identify some fragment of herself within each piece. I push the viewer to look closer at my work while addressing issues of human connection through the hidden use and layering of these specific texts.
These large, colorful abstract paintings are easy for anyone to approach. I start with large, sweeping strokes in various colors, each overlapping and complimenting the others. I then cover the entire piece in a solid color, leaving only small slivers of the original painting exposed. This layering is reminiscent of experiences and traits that make up individual people. The viewer can find their way around each piece in a similarly to finding a way through life’s journey.
I am fascinated by the hunt for lost treasures. I scour thrift stores looking for forgotten texts dealing with religion, sexuality, marriage, and family. Most of these books are at least thirty years old, some dating as far back as 1910. In some ways, I am appalled with the ludicrous and short- sided views about family, marriage and religion in these antique books. In other ways, I find myself and much of my culture still reflected in these volumes. By including bits of text from the Catholic Catechism, various books on sex and marriage, and choir hymnals in my work, I incorporate my personal struggles concerning family, religion and sexuality into the work.
Maps are meant to guide you from one place to another. They also aid in remembering places you have been as well as looking forward to places you will go. For me, they are not only a method of remembrance, but of finding my way. Art has always helped me map and chronicle my journey. I am not only finding my way, but also charting my struggles and progress along the way.
These bits of texts and maps are layered and hidden within the large, colorful abstract paintings. Just as it is difficult to know a person’s personal views and struggles by just looking at them, it is a challenge for anyone to look at these paintings and see the layers of views, experiences and personal struggles. It is most important for a viewer to look at these works and draw their own conclusions, identify some fragment of herself within each piece. I push the viewer to look closer at my work while addressing issues of human connection through the hidden use and layering of these specific texts.
