The Porch

The Porch series visually documents stories shared on my grandmother's front porch during my childhood. It was customary after meals for friends and family to gather and exchange endearing stories, questionable gossip, and of course, the day's news - laughing and enjoying each other's company on a tiny concrete entryway with two fragile, webbed lawn chairs, and a matching metal garden glider. Sadly, front porch gatherings are slowly giving way to a more isolated culture of internet surfing and social media. As the world becomes increasingly digitally connected, we have never been more socially disconnected. I long to visually revisit the memories shared on that small porch in Kentucky, as dusk set in, light bounced off the rolling hills, and the night gave way to the buzz of lightning bugs and crickets.

​

The Porch uses a combination of digital and analog imagery and painting to explore inherited memories marked by traditions, rituals, and storytelling. Each one-of-a-kind piece comprises a synthesis of images and materials - photographic prints, gouache/watercolor painting, drawing, and stitching. This series is about experiencing a narrative early on and how family history and storytelling build upon our identity, contributing to our current relationships with others. Our family stories provide the foundation for understanding painful experiences and celebrating joyous ones - they are the key to discovering what life is all about.