| Domesticity, the
rural South, family and femininity - my work revolves around these same
themes whether I work in paint, print or any other medium. Currently, my
work is strongly figurative, using both conventional oil painting and multiple
forms of printmaking to explore various artistic trains of thought. I am
interested in the lives of the women in my immediate family, specifically
the experiences of my late grandmother and idiosyncratic aunts who live
in the Appalachian backwoods of Tennessee. The often romanticized southern
countryside frequently appears in the subtext of my work; and, along with
the people who live there, it informs the bulk of my material. My fascination
with this world is based on the fact that while these members of my family
seem - as does the general culture of that part of the United States - at
times bizarre and foreign, they are nonetheless at the heart of my heritage.
Because I both love and am endlessly confused by the views and lifestyle
of my relatives, I am compelled to understand them through the content of
my work, and to seek to recreate the atmosphere of their lives. My current
project reflects my desire to deal with art through the lens of their environment
and viewpoint. Artistically, my goal is to approach objects, beauty, value
and possession in a way which embodies the distinctly Southern minds and
hearts of my female family members, while simultaneously providing an honest,
sometimes humorous, reflection of their lives. |
