Look! Artist's Statement
Dear Viewers,
You may notice some paranoia, or anxiety, in my drawings. I suppose I will have to confess to harboring some paranoia and anxiety in the dark recesses of my mind. OK, no. It’s right there on the surface. While anxiety and paranoia may be common threads that run through all my art, there is also irony and even a bit of sly, whimsical humor. In my latest series, Look!, I believe whimsy edged with creepiness is especially apparent.
Look! is the latest in several series of drawings in which I use imagery from 1950s magazines to make ironic statements about contemporary social issues. These are images from my formative years, so they are deeply embedded in my imagination. Images of women in lingerie ads have always been special favorites of mine, and I have inserted “lingerie ladies” into many situations in my art. In these images we see the obvious eroticism and vulnerability of a woman in underwear juxtaposed with the bullet-proof look of the underwear and the cool, detached expressions on the women’s faces. The male “looker” in each drawing adds an element of creepiness and paranoia, and brings up the theme of the “male gaze.”
I feel there is great resonance between the contemporary era and the ‘50s. Largely, it’s the denial. I see denial of the possibility of imminent danger in the vacuous looks on the faces of the women, oblivious to the possible threat lurking just outside the picture windows of the Mid Mod houses. Once again maybe it's my own paranoia.
I have departed from my traditional use of graphite (pencil) drawing and begun, with this series, to use colored pencils. I love the colors in the 50s magazines I use as my inspiration, especially those in interior design magazines, and I wanted to incorporate them into my drawings. I have to admit, that although I love drawing with graphite, the colored pencil drawings actually rather stunning.
I have also begun to mat these drawings with "curtains" on each side of the image to give the effect of looking at a stage or through a window and than "through" an image of a window, emphasizing the idea that we, the viewers are looking at the man or men in the image who are looking at the woman.
I do hope you will enjoy looking at these drawings!
Yours,
Em
You may notice some paranoia, or anxiety, in my drawings. I suppose I will have to confess to harboring some paranoia and anxiety in the dark recesses of my mind. OK, no. It’s right there on the surface. While anxiety and paranoia may be common threads that run through all my art, there is also irony and even a bit of sly, whimsical humor. In my latest series, Look!, I believe whimsy edged with creepiness is especially apparent.
Look! is the latest in several series of drawings in which I use imagery from 1950s magazines to make ironic statements about contemporary social issues. These are images from my formative years, so they are deeply embedded in my imagination. Images of women in lingerie ads have always been special favorites of mine, and I have inserted “lingerie ladies” into many situations in my art. In these images we see the obvious eroticism and vulnerability of a woman in underwear juxtaposed with the bullet-proof look of the underwear and the cool, detached expressions on the women’s faces. The male “looker” in each drawing adds an element of creepiness and paranoia, and brings up the theme of the “male gaze.”
I feel there is great resonance between the contemporary era and the ‘50s. Largely, it’s the denial. I see denial of the possibility of imminent danger in the vacuous looks on the faces of the women, oblivious to the possible threat lurking just outside the picture windows of the Mid Mod houses. Once again maybe it's my own paranoia.
I have departed from my traditional use of graphite (pencil) drawing and begun, with this series, to use colored pencils. I love the colors in the 50s magazines I use as my inspiration, especially those in interior design magazines, and I wanted to incorporate them into my drawings. I have to admit, that although I love drawing with graphite, the colored pencil drawings actually rather stunning.
I have also begun to mat these drawings with "curtains" on each side of the image to give the effect of looking at a stage or through a window and than "through" an image of a window, emphasizing the idea that we, the viewers are looking at the man or men in the image who are looking at the woman.
I do hope you will enjoy looking at these drawings!
Yours,
Em
So Safe in Glass Artist's Statement
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Dear Viewers,
So Safe in Glass is the latest in several series of drawings in which I use imagery from 1950s magazines. These are images from my formative years, so they are deeply embedded in my imagination. But it appears that, even for those born long after the end of that decade, images from the 50s are seen (often ironically) as quintessential images of American life. Thus they are perfect metaphors for the imperfect American dream, and they still resonate with this contemporary era. That is especially true in their portrayal of denial. In the 50s images, denial was in the perfect smiles, the belief in all that was New! and Improved! while we were on the very brink of nuclear annihilation. Now, too, denial is rife. Choose your favorite apocalypse: global climate chaos, flood, hurricane, tornado, volcano, earthquake, tsunami, meteor strike, solar flare, , terrorist attack, rogue country armed with nuclear weapons or pandemic. For each there are vocal deniers, and survivalists whose answer is to go the underground shelter, stocked with powdered food, guns and ammunition. In this series, COVID 19 is the disaster of my choice. It works as a very real danger and as a metaphor for any other apocalypse you prefer. Of course the principle of denial is depicted in the flimsy pieces of glass with which people are trying to shield themselves from the virus. Well dear viewers, it is my hope that you find something (irony, humor, mystery, or just lots of tiny lines) to enjoy in these drawings, and maybe even something that resonates with you. Love, Em |
Eye Bubble Artist's Statement
Dear Veiwers
In Fall of 2022, while on a trip to the UK, I noticed a problem in one of my eyes: a blurry spot, flashes of light and dark thready “floaters.” Oh well. I wasn’t going to let it spoil my fantastic trip! But shortly after getting home, I found myself having eye surgery to repair a detached retina! The retina was successfully reattached. A tiny bubble of gas was then inserted into the eye socket to keep the retina in place as it healed.
At first the gas bubble encompassed my entire field of vision in that eye. It was like looking through water or a Vaseline-smeared camera lens. The gas bubble dissipated and shrank, slowly, over the course of a couple weeks until I could see part of the rim of the bubble then entire circumference of the bubble, getting smaller each day.
I came to enjoy just closing my eye and contemplating the gas bubble. Really, it was beautiful, floating in a background of vivid pinks and reds, with a multi-colored rim and an interior of lavender, gray, pink and whatever other colors were in front of my eye when I squinted.
Although they are a big departure from my usual more narrative work, I enjoyed very much working with mixed media (oil sticks, chalk, charcoal, colored pencils, etc.) to reproduce the beautiful, colorful world of my own personal eye bubble, and I hope you will enjoy contemplating the eye bubble as I did.
Yours,
Em
In Fall of 2022, while on a trip to the UK, I noticed a problem in one of my eyes: a blurry spot, flashes of light and dark thready “floaters.” Oh well. I wasn’t going to let it spoil my fantastic trip! But shortly after getting home, I found myself having eye surgery to repair a detached retina! The retina was successfully reattached. A tiny bubble of gas was then inserted into the eye socket to keep the retina in place as it healed.
At first the gas bubble encompassed my entire field of vision in that eye. It was like looking through water or a Vaseline-smeared camera lens. The gas bubble dissipated and shrank, slowly, over the course of a couple weeks until I could see part of the rim of the bubble then entire circumference of the bubble, getting smaller each day.
I came to enjoy just closing my eye and contemplating the gas bubble. Really, it was beautiful, floating in a background of vivid pinks and reds, with a multi-colored rim and an interior of lavender, gray, pink and whatever other colors were in front of my eye when I squinted.
Although they are a big departure from my usual more narrative work, I enjoyed very much working with mixed media (oil sticks, chalk, charcoal, colored pencils, etc.) to reproduce the beautiful, colorful world of my own personal eye bubble, and I hope you will enjoy contemplating the eye bubble as I did.
Yours,
Em
Fotos del Centro Del Mundo Atist's Statement
Dear Veiwers,
For nine summers, while I was an Assistant Professor of Teaching English as a Second Language at Gonzaga University, I had the wonderful opportunity and privilege to teach seminars in language pedagogy in Colombia and to teach English to Quechua artisans in Peru.
I was inspired to begin the Fotos del Centro del Mundo (Snapshots from the Center of the World) series during one of those summer trips when I lost my camera at a rural Jesuit retreat center in the beautiful countryside about 45 minutes from Cali, Colombia. I decided then to draw some sketches, like snapshots, of my mental journey through those several trips to Peru and Colombia. I put myself into the pictures, making them whimsical selfies, having-fun-wish-you-were-here postcards. In the selfie spirit, I put myself into the center of these landscapes that I deeply love, love as the center of my heart and soul’s world. But paranoia and anxiety crept into these images, as it so often does in my art. Ultimately I am in the center of a creepy, dangerous or mysterious world, looking vulnerable but detached, a tourist.
Well dear viewers, as always, it is my hope that you find something (irony, humor, mystery, or just lots of tiny lines) to enjoy in these drawings.
Love,
Em
For nine summers, while I was an Assistant Professor of Teaching English as a Second Language at Gonzaga University, I had the wonderful opportunity and privilege to teach seminars in language pedagogy in Colombia and to teach English to Quechua artisans in Peru.
I was inspired to begin the Fotos del Centro del Mundo (Snapshots from the Center of the World) series during one of those summer trips when I lost my camera at a rural Jesuit retreat center in the beautiful countryside about 45 minutes from Cali, Colombia. I decided then to draw some sketches, like snapshots, of my mental journey through those several trips to Peru and Colombia. I put myself into the pictures, making them whimsical selfies, having-fun-wish-you-were-here postcards. In the selfie spirit, I put myself into the center of these landscapes that I deeply love, love as the center of my heart and soul’s world. But paranoia and anxiety crept into these images, as it so often does in my art. Ultimately I am in the center of a creepy, dangerous or mysterious world, looking vulnerable but detached, a tourist.
Well dear viewers, as always, it is my hope that you find something (irony, humor, mystery, or just lots of tiny lines) to enjoy in these drawings.
Love,
Em
The Nuclear Family Home Artist's Statement
Dear Viewers,
You may notice some paranoia, or anxiety, in my drawings. I suppose I will have to confess to harboring paranoia and anxiety in the dark recesses of my mind. OK, no. It’s right there on the surface.
The Nuclear Family Home is one of several series of drawings in which I use imagery from 1950s magazines. Yes, these are images from my formative years, so they are deeply embedded in my imagination. Besides that, though, I feel there is a lot of resonance between the contemporary era and the ‘50s. I find it unsettling to understand that many people of an older generation, who grew up in the decade of the 50s view these images--without irony-- as images of the true ideal of American life. With such a strong resonance with the contemporary era, these images are perfect metaphors for the imperfect American dream.
That is especially true in their portrayal of denial. Largely, it’s the denial. Then, denial was in the perfect smiles, the belief in all that was New! and Improved! while we were on the very brink of nuclear annihilation. Now, too, denial is rife. Choose your favorite apocalypse: global climate chaos, flood, hurricane, tornado, volcano, earthquake, tsunami, meteor strike, solar flare, pandemic, terrorist attack, or rogue country armed with nuclear weapons. For each there are vocal deniers, survivalists whose answer is to go the underground shelter, stocked with powdered food, water, guns and ammunition.
Well dear viewers, as always, it is my hope that you find something (irony, humor, mystery, or just lots of tiny lines) to enjoy in these drawings, and maybe even something that resonates with you.
Love,
Em
You may notice some paranoia, or anxiety, in my drawings. I suppose I will have to confess to harboring paranoia and anxiety in the dark recesses of my mind. OK, no. It’s right there on the surface.
The Nuclear Family Home is one of several series of drawings in which I use imagery from 1950s magazines. Yes, these are images from my formative years, so they are deeply embedded in my imagination. Besides that, though, I feel there is a lot of resonance between the contemporary era and the ‘50s. I find it unsettling to understand that many people of an older generation, who grew up in the decade of the 50s view these images--without irony-- as images of the true ideal of American life. With such a strong resonance with the contemporary era, these images are perfect metaphors for the imperfect American dream.
That is especially true in their portrayal of denial. Largely, it’s the denial. Then, denial was in the perfect smiles, the belief in all that was New! and Improved! while we were on the very brink of nuclear annihilation. Now, too, denial is rife. Choose your favorite apocalypse: global climate chaos, flood, hurricane, tornado, volcano, earthquake, tsunami, meteor strike, solar flare, pandemic, terrorist attack, or rogue country armed with nuclear weapons. For each there are vocal deniers, survivalists whose answer is to go the underground shelter, stocked with powdered food, water, guns and ammunition.
Well dear viewers, as always, it is my hope that you find something (irony, humor, mystery, or just lots of tiny lines) to enjoy in these drawings, and maybe even something that resonates with you.
Love,
Em
Classified Ads Artist's Statement
Dear Viewers,
My current series of drawings, Classified Ads, is the latest in several series of drawings in which I use imagery from 1950s magazines. These images from my early formative years, ridiculously, hopelessly naïve as they are, are deeply embedded in my imagination. Indeed, even for those born long after the end of that decade, images from the 50s are still seen (usually with heavy irony) as quintessential images of idealized American life.
It is unsettling then to realize that many people of an older generation, who grew up in the decade of the 50s, and some of whom who hold political power now, view these images--without irony-- as images of the true ideal of American life. With such a strong resonance with the contemporary era, these images are perfect metaphors for the imperfect American dream.
That is especially true in their portrayal of denial, which has been a consistent theme through several of my series of drawings. In the 50s images, denial was in the perfect smiles, the belief in all that was New! and Improved! while we were on the very brink of nuclear annihilation. Now, too, denial is rife.
Denial is also a major theme in Classified Ads. The origin of this series is the small ads that appear in the front sections of many 50s magazines. Most of them tout cures for minor physical complaints or financial woes. But often their headlines, brief questions in heavy, bold typeface, carry a subtle suggestion of violence to me: Hands tied? Feet Hurt? Broken plates? I suppose that these headlines strike me this way because of my many years of teaching English here and in South America, when I met and taught people from around the world who had suffered and been displaced by warfare and violence.
It is all too easy for the many Americans, who have little or no interaction with refugees and immigrants, to deny that we could ever find ourselves in such a situation, and sadly, to deny them their very humanity, seeing scenes of them crowded at borders as an invasion of undesirables. To see the crowd as our national border crisis instead of a number of individuals suffering their own horrific personal crisies. So I have drawn the images that suggest themselves to me when I see the headlines and inserted the idealized 50s people into them. I don’t mean these drawings to be preachy at all. Just deeply, darkly ironic.
As always, it is my hope that you, viewer, find something in these drawings that resonates with you.
Love,
Em
My current series of drawings, Classified Ads, is the latest in several series of drawings in which I use imagery from 1950s magazines. These images from my early formative years, ridiculously, hopelessly naïve as they are, are deeply embedded in my imagination. Indeed, even for those born long after the end of that decade, images from the 50s are still seen (usually with heavy irony) as quintessential images of idealized American life.
It is unsettling then to realize that many people of an older generation, who grew up in the decade of the 50s, and some of whom who hold political power now, view these images--without irony-- as images of the true ideal of American life. With such a strong resonance with the contemporary era, these images are perfect metaphors for the imperfect American dream.
That is especially true in their portrayal of denial, which has been a consistent theme through several of my series of drawings. In the 50s images, denial was in the perfect smiles, the belief in all that was New! and Improved! while we were on the very brink of nuclear annihilation. Now, too, denial is rife.
Denial is also a major theme in Classified Ads. The origin of this series is the small ads that appear in the front sections of many 50s magazines. Most of them tout cures for minor physical complaints or financial woes. But often their headlines, brief questions in heavy, bold typeface, carry a subtle suggestion of violence to me: Hands tied? Feet Hurt? Broken plates? I suppose that these headlines strike me this way because of my many years of teaching English here and in South America, when I met and taught people from around the world who had suffered and been displaced by warfare and violence.
It is all too easy for the many Americans, who have little or no interaction with refugees and immigrants, to deny that we could ever find ourselves in such a situation, and sadly, to deny them their very humanity, seeing scenes of them crowded at borders as an invasion of undesirables. To see the crowd as our national border crisis instead of a number of individuals suffering their own horrific personal crisies. So I have drawn the images that suggest themselves to me when I see the headlines and inserted the idealized 50s people into them. I don’t mean these drawings to be preachy at all. Just deeply, darkly ironic.
As always, it is my hope that you, viewer, find something in these drawings that resonates with you.
Love,
Em