I am interested in the notion of remembrance. This series considers how we remember our past through old saved photos representing times, places, and special people. What we remember is the context of the photo and our corresponding happy, fond, or sad sentiments.
Doris Rita Series is based on found images from my mother’s childhood photo album with her sister in the 1920s to the 1940s in San Luis Obispo, CA. I also include images of my father from his early years to complete the series. In each, I chose to paint the figures in neutral tones of inky blues and creamy whites while the backgrounds are painted in fantastical colors that imbue the work with the emotions of the time and place. Altogether these paintings represent my interpretation of my parents as innocent, young, and energetic.
I chose old photos that have strong shadows and bright highlights to add to the texture of the paintings. I often crop the images to create a stronger sentimental interpretation. Sometimes making the sky larger or cropping the figures off-center completes the dramatic tension of the composition. The original photos are small 2x3 inch images. My greatly enlarged paintings (i.e., 30x40 inches) have an emphatic emotional influence on the viewer due to the sheer size, hues, compositions, and subjects.
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