Friday, November 20, 2009

Artist Statement

My paintings are personal and often autobiographical. I frequently use candid photos as source material; the kind of photographs whose lot in life is to make their way into scrapbooks or to be hung on refrigerator doors. These photos, taken to be seen by friends, lovers or family members, are meant to capture a moment in time. They are a physical and visual way of remembering; they can simultaneously feel posed and natural. My work translates photos of this quality into paintings. This translation interests me because this type of photo caries specific memories and associations for a particular person but when it is translated into a painting it becomes an image that is meant to be viewed and accessible to many people. This creates a tension in that the image then serves as both a specific and personal image as well as referencing broad and universal themes.

My imagery highlights that which is simple yet significant: families, friendships, communities, time and memories, but through these themes they ultimately discuss larger issues such as war, the military, death and decay, the loss of innocence, and regret and mourning. I am interested in when the themes of life, that are too overwhelming to fully comprehend, interact with daily life. How do you mourn someone; how do you cope with the permanency of death? One might surround themselves with the deceased’s photos yet try to move on, because we want to heal but we don’t want to forget. A photo can be a connection to the past and yet it can also be a constant reminder of one’s regrets, the permanency of time, and the inability to change the past. I use photos as source material because they are nostalgic, romantic, and deeply personal; that for me is ultimately what painting is about.