As humans, we make and interact with physical objects, and material culture shapes us and is shaped by us. The physical objects humans use to survive, define our social relationships, represent facets of our identities, heighten our memories, enhance our state of mind, and express our social and economic standing are subjects of interest in several academic disciplines, including archaeology, anthropology, sociology, and history.

In this body of work, I’ve created a collection of twenty 3-dimensional objects that straddle the gap between painting and sculpture. The artworks’ interior structures are shaped by everyday items from material culture, including kitchen utensils, toys, fashion accessories, sporting goods, hardware, health and beauty, auto, safety, lawn and garden, baby, and electrical items. I’ve adhered these objects to wood panels, then tightly stretched cotton T-shirt fabric over them, and covered this with layers of acrylic paint. Additionally, each piece includes an accompanying Pantone® Color swatch panel that overlays a photograph of the obscured object in that work. The paint colors I’ve used in the works are the Pantone® Color of the Year from the last 20 years, linking industrial manufacturing and advertising to the formation of our identities. 

All material culture conveys social meanings, and the production of meaning is an ongoing process. Taking a closer look at the material culture in your own lives and seeing things from a fresh perspective helps us to understand ourselves and how we are affected by the things around us a little better. The stuff beneath matters.