2024

MESSY BODIES

Albina Press / April & May 2024

This new series of paintings attempt to capture the messy, chaotic and uncontrollable pieces of my life. Each piece began as an abstract exploration of color, texture and brushwork. I painted over old paintings. I used an acrylic medium: full of grit and sand and tried to build up the surface of each canvas. The layers were like metaphors for the many directions I feel pulled in everyday: the aisles of impulse-buy-items; the social media scrolls; the laundry, the dishes and the loud and varied voices of my blended family. 

I carved figures and plants out of these abstract paintings, trying to find pieces of myself or other people in the chaotic beauty. It was like herding kittens, or teaching art to 6th graders. There was joy and there was fear. I found edges and in finding them found moments of control, picking out hands, flowers and eyes. I see myself in each of these paintings, fighting through the responsibilities, distractions and pleasures that consume my attention. Mothering, teaching, painting, making mistakes, getting stuck in traffic, writing emails, trying to be calm and do it all over again the next day. 

Messy Bodies

This body of work was shown at Albina Press in May of 2024.