SOLD. 2 Piece Diptic Painting
21 x 40 & 30 x 40
Acrylic on Wood Panel

SOLD. Commission work for Salon Sublime. Toronto, On.
9 ft. x 4 ft

The approach I took with this assignment was to connect my wrk to the people in class. I wanted them to trust me with their honest answers to questions of love and hate. I collected data from the class asking everyone to think of the most important person in their lives and then to follow it with one reason why they love them and one reason on why they hate them. All answers were left anonymous and so were the names of the people they were talking about.

The process of development stemmed from the idea that these were peoples secrets at hand. Although left completely anonymous, displaying them in an installation was something that I wanted to do without entirely revealing such personal information. The choice of my concept was very much influenced by the work on surrealist painter, Salvador Dali and his paintings depicting the human body turning into drawers. The symbolism of opening up the soul is what drew me to search for a drawer that has been a witness to better days. The decaying wood is symbolic for someone’s life span and the damage that holding a secret can hold on the body.
The drilling of the holes and the placement of optical lenses were to emphasize perspective and the idea of “the viewer” or “spectator” intruding in on personal space. The lenses range from high plus and minus lenses, which make the same writing come closer to the viewer, or making the writing seem smaller and much more distant. Working in the field of optometry, I have come to bear witness that it is very rare for one person to share the same prescription as someone else. This is symbolic for the piece, almost as if to mention that everyone has someone they love and admire, yet their reasons are vastly diverse.

The material of the piece is based on old wood that was found around the city. The drawer handles are rusted and the wood is decayed. The top of another drawer sits on top of the other, covering the handwriting at the bottom of it. Various plus and minus lenses were placed within holes that were drilled into the wood, allowing the viewer to interact with the piece. This allows for them to peek inside what seems to be the inside of someone and snoop into secrets that are not supposed to be revealed. The secrets sit amongst one another to represent unity as well. Everyone has them, yet everyone is afraid to let them go.