I love old signs and logos...especially those from the 30s through the 60s.  This collection of work pays homage to my love of advertising from a by-gone era and nostalgia for what seems now to be a "quaint" part of our history - one we continue to idealize despite its many challenges. 

This is a portfolio of works in progress for a series which
explores the subject of the American Suburban Housewife, predominantly during the 50s and 60s. Using an unlikely combination of texts - excerpts pulled from a Time magazine article dated 1960 which refer to the Suburban Housewife as "the aproned housewife" and "keeper of the suburban dream" and laundry soap jingles like "strong as dirt" and "does everything" - this series aims to demonstrate how, during an era of inequality and paranoia, the one place in which women could confidently demonstrate their relevance and worth was in keeping house.

An extension of the my Suburban Housewife Series and Inspired by pin-up girls of the 40s, this new series continues to explore the roles women have played in  history.  This time I've carefully selected popular slogans from World War II, juxtaposing them with silhouettes of the pin-up girls who played the important role of "lifting" soldier morale.  The feminine colour palette and type-face are intentional deviations from propoganda posters, on which they were based.   

When I turned 30 I experienced an intense nesting phase.  I had just purchased my first home, completely on my own.  I  was working in a job that I loved, but which could be emotionally and mentally exhausting.  I wanted nothing more than to stay in my house -  a cute little bungalow owned and occupied by the same owner since they built it in 1930.  I felt like a little bird, gathering bits of string,  plastic, and grass to build up a secure nest in which to find refuge.  These pieces reflect that chapter of
my life.  I'll leave you to explore them for yourself to discover the little bits and bobs that found their way into the compositions.

This series grew out of my inheritance of my grandmother's War Ration coupons from WWII.  Around this time I had also managed to acquire a pretty large
collection of Prestype transfers, which I just love.  They include everything from letters and numbers in a variety of type faces and sizes to logos for large companies and were used back in the days when graphic designers
worked without the aid of computers.  When creating a lay-out they would rub a blunt implement on the back of the Prestype image to transfer it onto their composition.  I love the idea that something that was once regarded as a tool of industry has now lost its purpose - much like collection of items I've incorporated into these collages.  If you look closely you'll find an old Greyhound Bus logo and what appears to be graphics used by the National Park  Service.

This is what happens when you get burned out doing the same old thing.  After spending an incredible amount of time and energy working in a style I call "mosaic collage", I just could no longer face the tedium required to create collages in that style.   So I started working small, collecting images that I thought were interesting or humorous.  When I first started, I honestly didn't take these seriously at all - they were just too fun for me to think they had any merit.  It took me awhile to realize that making art doesn't have to be work - what a concept!  These are whimsical little pieces that all sort of tell their
own story...not one for me to tell, exactly, but one for the viewer to discover on their own.  These collages were created on a wooden cradle board and were then mounted into a deep shadow box, somewhat reminscent to the assemblage boxes made by Joseph Cornell, whom I adore.  This was my first major shift from working as an illustrator to that of a fine artist.

I've always enjoyed translating my work into different media.  At the time I completed these, I'd just been introduced to working in silkscreen and thought
it would be the perfect way to translate my Shadow Box series into a new medium.  Since studying modern art in art school, I had fallen in love with the Pop Artists of the 50s and 60s like Warhol, Lichtenstein, Johns. 
While not nearly as colorful as the masterworks created by the aforementioned artists, I referenced their methods and ended up developing this series of work.  What
interests me about this series is how they emote an entirely different feeling than the original collages that inspired them - they seem to inhabit a different
environment and tell a completely different story.