Nostalgia was inspired by my worn out faded blue jeans. These were the jeans that got me through high school as an artist. To this day I have yet to replicate the soft, faded, worn out holes in any other pair. The tattered ends of the weave mirror the tatters, rips and frays of denim. The weave mimics yarn as it unravels, neatly aligned when woven tightly and wavy to show the natural crimping that occurs with yarn when it is unraveled after being tightly woven to create fabric.
Fade to Blue was painted after Nostalgia as a challenge to explore a different composition using the same color and dress as a motif. Two dresses overlap and merge with each other pushing and pulling the eye back and forth. The weave is unique; employing multiple widths of paper, curving with the dress form to accentuate the fullness of the gown. Pastel was added on top of the weave for the first time to add dimensional effects to the weave.
Tempest was carefully planned out to represent Yin and Yang. The pink feminine form appears to be chasing after the more masculine blue form and vice versa. Perhaps the swirling, undulating effects within the deep blue ocean of the canvas are just an anecdote for the storms that can build within a relationship; storms that build closer connections or tear us apart.
At first glance the figures appear to be drifting apart. Look more closely, perhaps they are whirling around in the darkened funnel of a tornado on their way to some magical land like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. Or perhaps this is a representation of mother and daughter. There are many ways to interpret this work of art. Each viewer brings an entirely new perspective to the piece; a perspective that is developed over a life time of experiences collected within the subconscious mind.
Not every woman can boast the confidence to stop traffic in a red dress. Icons such as Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, and Julia Roberts have all dared to wear red. In Lady in Red the partially woven corset highlights the torso exaggerating the female form. The skirt is spread out giving the impression that the figure is sitting cross-legged on the ground. From this vulnerable position the image confronts the viewer, filling the canvas.