Oil Paintings 2021-2023

Pool Series

An old photograph of me as a child at my Aunt’s pool in North Carolina inspired the Pool series. I found the old faded photograph and used it as a source image. I was drawn to the memory of all that was missing in the scene. The things we don’t see but are evoked- the bright sun in the heavy humid air, the ear-filling sound of the cicadas, the taste of watermelon, the landscape’s saturated colors and the geometry of the scene. The memories are joyful, bright and colorful.

Painting that particular pool conjured childhood memories. Through the lens of time, I began to explore more deeply and consciously what I didn’t see and what I saw but didn’t understand as a child in my world. In these paintings, devoid of the human figure, I am using the presence of shadow as symbolic of spaces and details overlooked. Here are places to consider what we can see if we slow down, consider the details, scratch the surface and look beneath.

Chair Shadow Series

Chairs found or passed down. Chairs crafted by a friend or ancestor. A chair set on the curb for free. Chairs hold the memory of all the conversations, connections and daydreams made upon them.
They wear the touch of the hands of maker and user.

The chairs are invitations to sit, to rest, to consider, to listen, to slow down and open to the space, sound and light around us.

I am interested in the shadows cast by chairs outside in the shifting light. Shadow, to me, holds resonance and evokes memory and story.