RESIDENCE PAINTINGS

From 2005- 2009, my subject matter was drawn from the ordinary places that we, as humans, create and inhabit. I was also interested in memory. This is one of the bodies of painting from this period where I focused specifically on place.

In them, the primary organizational force is the conceptual and structural qualities of pattern. I use pattern because it creates a space where order and perception meet. It is also a metaphor for memory. Using the architecture, flora, and fauna of a specific urban place (Williamsburg, Brooklyn) as subject matter; I begin by designing layers of repeating pattern (as in the creation of wallpaper). Then, I superimpose these separate patterns upon one another, setting up an equation for myself to paint through. Utilizing a variety of painting techniques, I combine these images. The images I choose and the way they are depicted create certain relationships and themes. One of these is the contrast between the sparse, living flora and fauna of this urban environment and the prevalence of - or replacement by - what is man-made and artificial yet inspired by nature. For example, in The Kiss, stone doves, and vinyl siding with a pattern of wood grain, hover in the foreground as domesticated pigeons fly in formation as a part of the background. Because of the fast-paced gentrification occurring in this neighborhood, the transformation of place and loss is another prominent sub-theme within the general theme of memory.