Formal title: Landmark (Swamp Rabbit Series): Homeless. 2009. Oil on canvas, metal, wood, glass, plexiglass, cloth, found objects assemblage. 19 x 35 x 4.5 inches.
This piece finally came together in time for the opening at the Trillium Arts Centre. It went on a little journey for a couple of weeks, on loan to the Eliot Pratt Center at Goddard College for the MFA student show during the Fall residency. The title, "Homeless," is suggestive of my experiences with an individual who took refuge in the rail car for a few days while I was doing the painting. There was evidence of other people using the car for various purposes also, but I will not go into details about that. The small pillow (or mattress as it appeared to one person), hanging from the top edge of the picture frame is after Robert Rauschenberg's work "Canyon." It fit with the homeless theme and reflected the dirty old bedding I found in the car. The archeology of these locations fuels my interest in the subject matter, expanding my understanding of the context of the location. The historical dimensions, as well as the present-oriented realities of real-estate, property and public/private domains, all contribute to the making and presentation of this and other pieces in the series.
