Strega Bar Show

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.