Distorted Memories
Distorted Memories is a body of work dealing with themes of memory and loss. Our existence is ephemeral and we live on through our achievements and the memories of loved ones. It is futile to build memorials and monuments. They crumble and we forget quickly who those people were in life. Yet they serve an important purpose in reminding us of our mortality and helping those who commission them to honor their loved ones and hopefully gain some peace and closure. It is a somber theme, but thinking about death helps me to savor life. Hopefully as we grieve the edges of our memories become softer and we are left with a sense of having been loved by those who came before and gratitude for the precious time we have together.
The series has been displayed in a few different iterations. I did an installation at the Winter Studio Show at Autobody Fine Art in Alameda 2019, panels of various sizes were in a group show at Rock Paper Scissors in Oakland 2020 and some of the pieces were in a group show at Inkblot gallery in Alameda 2020. They are mixed media works using spray paint, watercolor, ink, tracing paper, gold leaf, reclaimed wood, canvas, and player piano scrolls.
My paintings echo the nature of the subject. The figures’ details are not clearly defined reflecting the impermanent nature of life and in turn the brevity of our time here.
Much of the work is based on photos of local memorials I visited. I was inspired by the memorial of Joaquin Miller, a larger than life statue of Miller astride a horse. It is covered in peeling, decades old paint, the stone giving way to time and weather. I visit the park almost every week and coming upon this statue I realized I knew very little of the namesake of the park I hold so dear. I was also inspired to create this series from a visit to my maternal ancestors’ burial plot in Colma. I realized that in only a generation those people who were so critical to my existence were unknown to me and I was able to learn very little about them from the stones marking their resting place. I am able to know them better however through family stories, photos, places, and the artwork I create.