I was thinking about the significance of Memorial Day, and I was thinking too that those in other countries believe they are fighting for their respective freedoms. With so many fighting, thinking theirs is the just cause, we will always be remembering those who fought and died.
On May 26th we had our National Artists exhibit opening reception at the A.I.R. Gallery. It was a superlative evening. How fortunate I am to belong to this wonderful gallery with its amazing history and exciting prospects for the future. The curator, Rocio Aranda-Alvarado, discussed each artist’s work, was friendly and accessible. The artists and other attendees were kind and approachable, with none of the snobbery so prevalent in the New York art world. I left the opening enthused, eager to learn more about the gallery from the archives at the Fales Library and Special Collections, and to contribute as much as I am able. I have included two pictures from the evening, along with links to each artist’s website. (please scroll down for links)
Artists: d’Ann de Simone, Dani Dodge, Shannon Forrester, Melissa Furness, Alisa Henriquez, Jody Joldersma, Mary-Ann Kokoska, Mimi Oritsky, Ekaterina Popova, Meghan Quinn, Julia Kim Smith, Patty Smith, Ann Stoddard, Amy Swartele, Erin Wiersma, Joo Yeon Woo, Janet Decker Yanez, Mineko Yoshida
Once again, my very part time job as a cataloger in the Rare Books & Special Collections Department at Princeton University has supplied me with wonderful source material for painting. This time, instead of fighters’ portraits, I found a board game named ‘Physogs‘. The game pieces contain faces devoid of features. The features are contained in separately numbered strips. Much of my work grapples with gender identity and one way I am using this game is to create faces that are gender neutral. But other ambivalences will be imagined as well. In these works, I wish to subvert the game’s intent that conclusions about character can be based on facial characteristics. By placing features on these faces in unexpected combinations, I wish to undermine the notion that people can be known through physiognomy. We are far more, and much more mysterious.
In various stages.
I cried when I saw this kiss in the movie Mrs. Miniver. The people in the painting are Greer Garson, as Mrs. Miniver, and her daughter-in-law in the movie, played by Teresa Wright. The moment was so tender and beautiful, and it displayed a version of a mother-in-law that goes against the image most often characterized in our misogynistic popular imagination.
The painting is entitled Mysterious. Part of the mystery is who came up with the ridiculous headdress? I wonder too how women can come out from under this nonsense.
These look best together. I photographed images from movies and media, and manipulated them in Photoshop. Then I created paintings from the changed images. I have an idea that our perceptions are false, and therefore when we look at people we see our false images of them. Movies, photographs and stories in the media all serve to cloud or blur our vision. Hence the blurriness of some of these, as well as the soft focus in others.
