fleabane

2017
Acrylic, spray paint and oil on hand cut paper
9" × 13"

These works pay homage to the overgrowth: each painting features a different weed on a spray-painted surface with ornate profiles to reference the museum frame—the ultimate acknowledgement of beauty and value. More than a nod to the lowly weed, these paintings are for me a meditation on the irreverent, persistent nature and joy of rebellion. Selecting the weed over cultivated blooms is at odds with how we interact with the landscape. The weed is a metaphor for many things—a yearning to be wild: to live in a state of nature; for ideas popping into consciousness, unwilling to be censored; and for a revolt against false notions of beauty. This series of paintings feature typefaces from Heavy Metal, Punk and Rock ‘n’ Roll albums, connecting defiance across artforms. Here the underdog takes center stage, while in life our desire for perfection mows it down, poisons it, or pulls it out by its roots.

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