up by country Collage

By repurposing old artworks in combination with found objects (which include old book parts, maps, family letters, surgical masks, used clothing, photographs, and residues from making art), I sew and print nostalgic ephemera and mundane studio detritus into new forms. Memories become unencumbered and universal. Sense of place is found through reconfiguring maps, and envisioning family functions and dysfunctions. I use both loops and a quarter almond shape to represent humans energetically. A loop line differentiates an interior and an exterior. A quarter almond shape is a portion of a whole, thus can be seen as a yearning connection. Family and their dynamics guide my work; our ancestry, which seems precious, is continually altered by the introduction of new people into a family (marriage, adoption, divorce, children out of wedlock, etc.) By collaging, I connect forms (or don’t), and the layers of shapes that ensue speak to the complexity of these familial relationships. In addition, I explore a tension that I experience when memories become burdened by personal ephemera. The titles of my work are often found within the work as the old book pages and cut-up letters provide a multitude of textual options. (artwork 8 x 13”)