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letters from Rome

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letters from Rome

Fragments of discarded 19th century correspondence form the ground for geographies of color built of torn paper and layered paint. The painted pieces accumulate on top of envelopes or letters, tracing their own circumstances and narratives. The accretion of paint, paper, and graphic marks builds a patina of past time.

The mystery of letters from other lives and their relation to place speaks to me of my own family history in Italy and, particularly, Rome, where I often work. I believe the physical and spiritual essence of a place is reflected in its people, their voices, and the pattern of their personal stories. In the Letter Fragments series, the physical layering of paint and paper evokes the materiality of Roman history, and the shreds of correspondence are a voice of its people. In juxtaposing the written words of others with my own abstractions of color and graphics, I felt I was working as an archeologist trying to feel those lives as well as my own.

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