Can I peek into the inner stories of a household, and at the same time create images that form something pleasing and interesting to look at?

I hope so. That’s been my focus for a year, creating the series, “Home is What You Remember.” The story is the heart. But, in order to learn the story, there has to be a work that’s interesting and compelling.

I was looking again today at the work depicting a row house neighborhood inhabited by birds: “The Stories Contained Within.” I like the juxtaposition of simple houses with complex stories.

From a distance, this work has bold colors, interesting shapes, a child-like simplicity. From mid-range, you might start to be interested in the textures and patterns and might begin to notice the various surface design techniques. In this work, I mixed using direct painting, stencils, monotype printing and relief printing.

Close-up, the stories begin to pose questions.

I am interested in exploring visual methods to show the relationships between characters and their personal stories. I think about this subject a lot, and I want to keep developing imagery and symbols that dig into the concept. For this work, I chose birds and jars.

The birds and the jars are related to each other differently in each home. In one, a bird is inside a jar. In several, the bird is outside the jar. The birds are not shaped or positioned the same. We inhabit stories and secrets in different ways. And yet, all of this complexity takes place in a simplified neighborhood suggesting connected row houses, all the same from the outside.

Stepping back to provide more clues about the homes and their dwellers, I used an oblique baseline for the houses, and repeated it in the pieced shape in the purple sky. Things are askew.

When a patron invites a piece of work into their home, they plan to  “live” with it for a long time. I believe that unique elements and an authentic story can make every viewing a new experience. Peeking in from close up or from across the room, I hope the images compel a second look.

More information about “The Stories Contained Within”
is available on my web site HERE

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