Artist’s
Statement
As
a child my mother, younger sister, and I moved a lot; on average once a year.
Sometimes it was only a town or two away, while at other times it was several
hundred miles. As a result, I did not have much interaction with the rest of my
family until after my father’s death in 2001. After his passing I realized I
knew very little about him or his family. Now as an adult preparing to start a
new life with my fiancé, Adam, it is very important to me to document family
and friends, whether it is in writing or in photos. I chose my subject based on
my desire to understand my heritage and to create a family history.
My
body of work consists of graphite drawings taken from photos of family and
friends. My intention is to make the drawings feel like old photos by using
coffee to stain cotton rag paper and then tattering the edges and roughing them
up with a nail file so that they look worn.
The
purpose of making the images appear old even when they are not is to help
emphasize that our family and friends are a part of our personal history and
are a large part of what makes us who we are.
Below are the drawings that will be exhibited at Strega Bar in Reno, NV from May 12th through the 25th. The artist's reception will be held Saturday, May 12th from 7-9pm.