FLORAL I (PATTERNED SERIES) Painting

The Tablecloth Series (2018-2021) is an ongoing series that I originally had explored in my masters program. I recently moved back to revisiting this idea because I have found it a challenge to paint on a surface that already has a print. And a print, especially a floral print that is commercially manufactured, like a tablecloth, has a pattern that is very structured. The print itself also comes with its own context and cultural associations. This smaller 20x20 series are actual "napkin" sizes for a dining room table. Taking this out of context as a functional item that is used in our daily lives and re-contextualizing it as a piece of art, when adding paint to it, is another interesting aspect I like to explore. This print is was designed and created for the house, decorating our interiors with something that we as a society consume as "beautiful." The print itself allows me to question, what do I negate or "black out" and cover up? What areas to let the original pattern peak through and how to make it into something more abstract. Different prints of course offer up slightly different challenges with color palettes and how tight the print is etc. that I react to right away, instead of creating something from a "white canvas."