A lifelong habit

Giving my artist talk for the Marking Time exhibition at Palmer Art, I was endeavoring to explain my lifelong habit, dare I say need, to collect objects. From a young age I have sought out secondhand stores, flea markets, and garage sales, searched for sea glass by the shore. I imagine all the hands that touched the object, wonder about the lives led; sense the history contained within. 

I also enjoy puzzles, mystery, and hide and seek. There is the thrill of the hunt every time I take a walk. Eggshells and birds’ nests, coral and seashells, rusted bits and twine. In talking about the origin of the collected bits and pieces included in my Marking Time series, a deeper and more resonant meaning behind the acquisitions surfaces. 

Keeping it alive

I imbue physical objects with meaning. I experienced much loss at an early age. Stemming from this and the already present curiosity about objects with a history, I have saved vintage newspapers, sewing patterns, buttons, letters from family members, and scraps from former art series. I find and collect things that seem emblematic or representative of an experience, a memory, or a person. Possession of these things is a way of keeping the person, memory or experience alive in my life. And adding my touch to it’s history.

I attempt to make physical what is felt, experienced, ephemeral. My practical brain says this is not possible; it is wishful thinking. But my spirit feels otherwise. This need to hold on is self-protective and reassuring. I believe human experience is both individual and collective and that human connection deepens when experience is shared. I saw proof of this with my creation of The Memory Project.

Letting go

There is a thrum of excitement as I watch viewers identify and connect with the Marking Time series. Talismans of history made by my own hand, preserved like a fly caught in amber, I have hope that each will reach forward, sparking memory in others, adding to their historical layers. I understand there are things that I cannot hold onto yet I continue to play a game of hide and seek. I continue to find and hold, to collect and share, even as time falls away from me. Even as it is like trying to hold water between my palms. I feel the need to hold on and yet it is so exciting to let this series out into the world.

View the Marking Time series in person at Palmer Art located at 1947 Palmer Avenue, Larchmont, NY through May 14th, 2023.

Subscribe to receive email updates for new blog posts