Artifacts 3

Oil on canvas / 42″ x 18″

In a recent series of still life works I am calling Artifacts, I am playing with the idea of representing personal objects as kind of like the “artifacts” an archeologist might find if they were conducting an excavation of my life. The works are about portraiture in an abstracted way.

Origami paper cranes feature prominently in most of these works. Along with being an international symbol if peace, they have become a personal symbol of peace, healing, and transcendence as well.

In this still life I have included things that remind me of my mother. She loved reading, learning, and exploring all the wonderful historical and natural places in the U.S. She also loved to journal about her thoughts and adventures.

The Book, writing journal, owls, road map, my mother’s binoculars, her fossils, postcards of the desert and a vintage travel trailer are some of the items that she loved and from her that I also enjoy. This is a portrait of my mother from the view of what gave her joy when she allowed herself to experience it.