paintings

When I was a kid in the 1980s my family lived in a trailer park nestled among railroad tracks, a deep swampy ravine, and the town dump. In 2021 I started visiting trailer parks around Northeast Wisconsin with my camera, collecting photos that sent me back to my elementary school years.

At the same time I was watching a lot of plein-air videos, daydreaming about making my own paintings. When I finally worked up the courage to put paint to canvas I used my trailer park photos for image references. I loved the results of capturing the symbols of my working class childhood in a piece of art. I started expanding to other structures outside of trailer parks that were equally meaningful.

Something I didn’t expect was that I would be forced to examine fears I had about venturing into poor neighborhoods to get the images. I continuously compare the carefree feelings I had as a kid in a trailer park to the fear of poor people that involuntarily bubbles up now. Creating these paintings helps me examine how the nuances of poverty have changed in this country and have meaning conversations with viewers about it.

Explore my website, learn more about me, or shop current pieces that I have available.