Rabbit Box

I have a great interest in the antique, and a compassion for the old and outdated. This pertains greatly to my craftsmanship, often using longstanding methods, like oil painting, combined with old forms of craft, like crochet. I am interesting in the story that materials can tell on their own. I especially think about this when it comes to the “junk” I find in secondhand stores. It wasn’t special enough to keep, but too special to throw away. It reminds me of objects from my childhood, and I wonder where those old plastic toys and wooden benches ended up. My family and childhood are very important to this body of work, especially my mom. Antiquing is a hobby that brings the both of us together. It’s something we love to do together. We connect to each other through each of our understandings of our pasts. My connection to our pasts is evident in my work, visually drawing on the Midwest environment we grew up in.

This semester, I also discovered a love for abstraction. Abstraction holds memory in a way that realism can’t, and I was very interested in combining the two to create a compelling sense of wistful remembrance.