Paintings > A Presence

A Presence, Light 2
A Presence, Light 2
oil on canvas
14 x 11 inches
2014

My series “A Presence” is about the power of memory and how it can manifest as an otherworldly omnipresence or a “ghost”. The work explores how this mnemonic energy dwells in houses, furniture and objects long inhabited and how this presence communicates an essential poetry of being human with all its attendant anxieties joys and hopes.
The idea for this series came from when my Dad and mother in law passed away and we had to clear out their houses. All of the objects and furniture were mnemonic triggers and had real human weight and power even objects that aesthetically did not appeal had the breath of memory ... for a long time, I could not go to vintage or antiques shops or yard sales because all the items for sale seemed to be "ghosts" or embodiments of their former owners. I've always thought old houses ... and not just my families' have the ghosts of memory. I started photographing light in old houses and adding my own memories and associations... it is an ongoing series.