Purge

These images from 2005-6 were part of an ongoing exploration of various aspects of maternal experience. From the ego-centered rumination of my changed physical self to the particular identity of my children,I had come to understand that it was the process of relationship that ultimately resonated as a motivating concept.  To explore this process embraces the dynamic nature of the familial relationship; children’s developing identity exists as a consequence both of deliberate teaching and passive presence.
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Whatever the sphere of our search, we collect fetishized markers, souvenirs around which to invent narratives–scientific, mystical, or romantic–to bridge gaps between fragmentary remains, and fabricate wholeness. The Purge series employs souvenirs of childhood- abandoned drawings, old toys, game pieces, empty sticker pages and things that have generally served their useful purpose. Some of the particular items in these works were rescued when my then 13 year-old daughter decided one day to clear out of the family toy box.  While her new teen-age status demanded this elimination, my nostalgic impulse carried the banished toys to my studio.