Artists

The duality of the transient, disposable nature of our culture versus its espousal of tradition and heritage has always been of interest to me. The paint chip series is a look at both our culture's propensity for change, renovation and revision and its need of history.

Our society has a tendency to shed old images, words and styles in favor of ever newer ones, forgetting that we may need those odds and ends to assist us in reclaiming our past, so that we might better understand who we are today. We largely ignore the seemingly inconsequential bits of ephemera and colors that, like the power of certain scents, have the ability to trigger our memories. However, these memories, when awakened, provide a connection through which to explore both our personal and cultural history as well as our place in each.

The materials: mundane discarded minutia, elegant little things that I have collected never knowing quite what to do with them, puzzle parts, images from old books and manuals, game pieces, labels, tags, and photos of people long forgotten, a variety of leftovers from many an existence- our existence. And paint samples, those available at most any hardware store, which acts as both a convenient and inexpensive support for the work while also providing a humorous nod to both the act of appropriation (sampling) and decoration inherent in the work. When combined, they present an intimate space for the viewer to free associate and connect.This series allows me to celebrate the outwardly unimportant items that touch our lives while asking viewers to re-evaluate the significance of them both personally and culturally.