SKINS

This series of wearable paintings investigates my feelings about time and aging; what is living and what is not; the things we remember and the things we forget. These works tell stories of what we consider beautiful, precious, what’s worth keeping and what we would rather keep hidden, what we seek to cut out.

They began on the wall—oil paint on stretched canvas. But they were growing too big for their shells, getting heavy with their own collections. I took them from their frames and hung them loose like tapestries, make-believe leathers, fantasy skins I was preserving to memorialize the creatures that could live anywhere, that have lived everywhere. Strange leftovers. Souvenirs. And in their stillness and presentation I realized there was more to the story.

I wanted to give the story shape. I wanted to give the story setting. I took off my clothes. I wrapped the paintings around me. Someone took my picture. I invited others to join me.