Artist Statement
Through my artwork, I use textures and imagery to explore a sense of family and connections that would be otherwise found in family scrapbooks or archives. I want my artwork to evoke a shared feeling of childhood and connected moments. Looking at family histories, I try to find examples of human expression- the way humans walk, talk, copy, and generally look the same throughout different generations unconsciously and genetically. These can be posed or candid images holding a feeling of live and present moments, even when placed and preserved through the creative act of scrapbooking.
I aim to mimic the act of scrapbooking and preserving. Combining these with a familiar language. My paintings are about making connections through nostalgia, almost like making up for lost time- especially when not feeling connected due to the pandemic, and learning more about my own personal family histories and stories. I start with one image or one memory and let that build through connotation. One person will make me think of another and this moment with another moment. I add in as many elements as possible and take them away to make the work feel cohesive.
Physically, I cut, glue, tape, layer, sew, tear apart, bind, weave – and paint. I cut into my canvas and weave with yarn in those cutout areas, then add canvas back into the painting to add depth. I also embed bleached stained and manipulated photographs into encaustics to age my images and make them feel rediscovered- similar to fading photos in the sun or the way ink might bleed through a paper over time. Undefined features and figures refer to the aging in life and unknown stories that were never passed down.
With bright colors and patterns, my weavings should have a similar expression of nostalgia. The act of weaving, connecting yarn after yarn, reminds me again of family and connections one might make in the world. The addition of yarn, weaving, and quilted patterns into paint creates a connectedness and comfort one might find in a quilt. I uncover in my paintings, physically and metaphorically. As I research my own family tree and meet relatives I never knew I had- the more I create and through creating- the more I learn about my family.