2013, Oil and gold leaf on canvas, 24"w x 24"h
I borrow the language of the icon in order to elevate those that surround me. The gold leaf, a material with precious assignments, is applied behind the woman, pushing her forward as it weaves within her skin. The materiality of the paint and gold leaf collide in a playful exploration of what painter Mark Rothko called “the plasticity of the painted illusion and the plasticity of the tactile.” Gold leaf is often used to signify a sacred presence. Though the material is manipulated in unorthodox ways, it connotes a similar meaning and in turn questions notions of what is precious or holy.
A Daimler Company
