Rose Marie

This work, “Rose Marie”, 2019, is a 20” x 24” mixed media on 3” birch cradle panel.  It’s part of a series called Modern Life, which looks at the dichotomy between advertising, optics, and ‘glam’ of the the late 1940’s and 1950’s, and the reality beneath.   Post WWII society was moving in a new directions, with advancements in technology, and a lifting of rations and harshness of being at war.   It was also about luring women out of the workforce and back to the home, with the promise of fabulous new appliances, lipstick colours, and other shiny things.  It was an ebullient era, with the war over, and hopes high.  

It’s interesting to look beneath the surface though, to the many layers of how many decisions we make every day, how many documents, papers, and other items we use, some precious, and some throw-away (passport vs. bus ticket).  This is why the paintings from this series have so many layers, almost all beginning with vintage sewing patterns, maps, and vintage text.

The paintings also have elements of nature in them, as we are surrounded by the natural world, and it influences so many aspects of our lives.  The antique and vintage paper is of course made from trees, as are the panels that they’re painted on.  “Rose Marie”,  includes dried flowers, birch bark, albino peacock feathers, liquor labels (The Balvenie 12 DoubleWood, and The Glenlivet, Kentucky Straight Bourbon), vintage sheet music, including “Rose Marie”, vintage sewing patterns, handmade Japanese papers, and several gel transfers from vintage magazines, amongst other shiny things.