Sonority (2021)

A series of oil paintings share my personal observations that centre around caring for my aging grandmother. The repeating content of the portraits is an invitation into the private universe of a dynamic bond that is changing and signals a relationship between artist and subject. As a child in rural Saskatchewan, I was close with my grandparents who played an integral role in my upbringing. Now, with a family of my own, I look at how the verticalization of families compels conversations about elder care and the value of inter-generational relationships. Everyday occurrences are documented through photographs, written journals, and recorded conversations and form the foundational to my research and material. They indexically document the trials and beauty of the day to day. The emotion in a piece is created through mark making and vacancy. Impressionistic marks leave the underpainting, or support surface, accessible in places and is mimetic of ‘remembering’ or ‘interpreting’ a moment. Some sections of the work contain vivid depictions, yet other parts are left unfulfilled. This embodies a wordless communication about present experiences and a truth about memory..