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La Broderie Blanche exhibition was created at the Lacoste School of the Arts in Provence, France. The title of the show was inspired by the vintage embroidery manuals that I found at a local market. Each is placed in the paintings as a type of title page. As in most of my work for the past 15 years the themes and characters are based on new versions of old childhood stories. Many of which were told to me as a young child by my grandmother Blanche. Similar to "Alice's Adventures" by Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) the paintings are a mix of morals, allegory and narrative nonsense. In each painting a young girl is depicted in a singular relationship with nature much like Disney characters or "Alice". Surrounding the figures are clues given to describe the scene and the narrative based on vintage materials, such as 19th century books and prayer cards. In each painting the young woman is in an idealized satirical situation wearing a costume and carrying the clue to the story. The exhibition has been influenced by the historic surroundings of Provence, but is centered on a woman's perspective through history, then and now. The composition, colors and figures are based on French painters and Lewis Carroll. Throughout the exhibit, the viewer may be reminded that things are not always what they seem, much like the bedtime stories my grandmother Blanche recited to me. This series of paintings is dedicated to her in honor of her endless creative spirit which I a confident lives on in my painting.
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