During a springtime stroll through the gardens in the complex I live in, fragrances that I had not detected in a very long time sent images of people and places that I had long forgotten rush back into my very consciousness. The sweet and floral smell of honeysuckles and lilac trees invaded my being. It would create feelings of both tearful longing and joyful reflection. With my camera, graphite pencils and watercolors in hand, I set off around the complex to capture the flora and memories that are associated with them. Studies of different roses, honeysuckles, peonies, magnolia trees, Japanese maple trees, cherryblossoms, and fresh cut grass followed. Creating a plethora of small paintings, each a treasured memory. As I reflected on what I created, I began to wonder what else I had forgotten. This led me into the inner depths of my computer and hard drive, brimming of unused photographs of my time here in New York. This has become the basis of my new series. 

 

The materials I use to articulate these memories are an amalgamation of photography, graphite, watercolors, and ink. I use previously taken photographs, alter them in Lightroom and Photoshop. After manipulating the photograph, I would draft a composition onto paper and add different sizes of circles on top of the composition, some overlapping in semi-random placement. Inside the circles, I add watercolors, layering the hues to give depth and crystallize the distinct areas of interest. Once completed and dried outlines of gold ink would be applied to the circles. I discovered that my approach to this and other work needs to be experimental and not uniform. I am breaking out of my need for perfection and completion and just letting the artwork live in a state of being. This began a few years back but due to time spent in the hospital and doctor offices, I have come to realize that creating and exploring for me is the greater cause. 

 

For example, the small mixed media piece of a woman in a library playing with her necklace is based on memories of my friend and I in the library at Salmagundi Club in New York. It was for a different series on fairytales and folklore, but I have revisited it as a wonderful afternoon spent with a dear friend. For me, this series is about reflecting and preserving memories: some parts are clearer than others, but all make up who I am.