|
First some
background on this collection and the motivation behind the “chair
series”. Through the years, several people, coming to my exhibits,
noticing a trend that I wasn’t even aware of, asked me why I have so
many chairs in my work. I really didn’t have an answer. Truth is I
hadn’t really thought about it consciously. Oftentimes I would make
the chair a focus subject or just include a chair in a painting
because it felt right; after working on a painting for a while, it
felt like it needed a chair. I decided to really focus on this
question.
Then one night, in the middle of the night, I bolted out of my sleep
and realized that I was the chair! I am the chair. I had been
putting myself into my paintings by including a chair. I never
really thought about it so clearly before, but the paintings I have
chairs in, resemble something that has occurred to me in my
lifetime, some event, whether tragic or happy, symbolizing me on so
many levels. There are some that are a little more clear than
others, but, it was an image I just felt more comfortable with when
I included a chair in a painting. Once I realized this, I decided I
should spend some specific time exploring what this meant to me, and
what I was trying to say by using chairs. Through many sketches,
notes and research, I created this current series.
Furthermore, chairs themselves are such an interesting piece of
furniture. I think we take them for granted. We have chairs in just
about everything we do, when you go to a performance you’re usually
sitting in a chair watching it, when you attend sacred events, like
church, going to a wedding or a funeral, you’re sitting in a pew or
chair. When you do many things, going out to eat or sitting down to
dinner with your family you’re seated in chairs. When traveling,
we’re usually seated. They’re so much a part of our daily lives and
yet I think we take them for granted because of it. We hardly ever
notice them. We expect chairs to be in a room, and often times feel
uncomfortable when we are unable to find someplace to sit, even if
we aren’t tired. In some ways I feel that way about myself and
wonder if others think that way of me. I’ve felt, at times, like I
have fought to be noticed, that people expect me to be around and
assume my stability and complain if I’m not there, but really don’t
take notice outside of that. This collection has allowed me the
opportunity to confront some of the evils and instability in my
life.
There are plenty of people, especially since I’ve done this exhibit;
this particular collection, and a few before when I had some
paintings with chairs, who would share with me interesting stories
about how they had a favorite chair or they remembered a specific
chair from when they were growing up, and it’s interesting then how
much we can relate to how chairs are a part of our life, once we
stop to notice.
I have never done a self portrait; I never felt it was appropriate
or necessary. With this series, once I knew that the chair would
represent and help me express the many parts of my life experience,
I knew that these would be my self portraits. |
