Commonplace II

Together with “The Commonplace” drawings, these paintings emerged in conjunction with a variety of theoretical and philosophical perspectives considering the condition of human intolerance and ways of ‘being’ that could improve our understanding and connection to ‘others’.

This series is based on a single pose of Linda, an artist and former student who was modeling for our life drawing class one day. Linda struck a pose that triggered in me a sudden, intuitive sense of a suppressed but familiar physical/emotional recollection. I photographed many viewpoints of this pose and filed them away, as I often do, until a body of work necessitates bringing them out, literally and metaphorically.

The process of drawing and painting overlapping, multiple viewpoints of this pose without any prefigured conclusive picture in mind, provides a creative space where both poetic and consciously thoughtful realizations can emerge.

These images suggest references to art history representations of women. They allude to a uniquely female fatigue, born of the weight of burden from historical views and lingering internalized expectations about the nature and roles (to nurture others before the self) of women in society. They also suggest empowerment in the choice to rest, the choice to connect with others through shared expression and the choice to comfort with friendship.