|
Memories of childhood are the basis for my art. Instead of illustrating recollections with exacting detail, I have tried to capture the essence of each experience. I specifically chose to focus on my childhood remembrances because I am removed from them and can look at them with a new perspective. Also, I have found it quite amusing and enlightening to think about my past and to see how I have become what I am today. By analyzing my memories I have been able to gain a better understanding of the nature of memories in general. Talking with others and looking at other artists' works that focus on memory have been instrumental to my explorations, but ultimately my own memories have proven most useful. My firsthand knowledge enabled me to consider what triggered each recollection as well as the form that each took. My observations about the nature of memory manifested themselves in my art through the use of materials and spaces to evoke the past. In addition, the works have taken two forms because they mirror the behavior of memory - they are organized according to spaces or groupings of objects, or they are combinations of disparate images that make a single object. The use of mixed media has allowed me to more effectively demonstrate these qualities of each recollection as well as the broader nature of memory. Although each work represents a part of my life, I am interested in the inclusion of viewers into my art. I create each piece in such a way that viewers can use their imaginations to construct stories or otherwise relate what they see back to themselves. Ideally, each piece carries personal significance for me, demonstrates the behavior of memories, and enraptures viewers in stories or memories of their own. |
|
|