Artist Show Statement:

I have always been captivated by vintage photos, they have a visual quality and give me a nostalgic feeling that has always moved me. I stumbled upon a photo that took my breath away of some poolside loungers on beautiful Spanish or Moroccan tiles with archways and all the colors that make me swoon. I used to live in Spain and go every summer and am highly attracted to the aesthetics and lifestyle of this place. I could see this represented in this photo. I had to track down where this photo came from and found the entire article in LOOK Magazine dated January 1964. I bought the magazine online, saw the other stunning photos in the article, and read the story of how a rich “Paris executive and host extraordinaire” turned crumbling 16th century York Castle in Tangier, Morocco into his holiday home. The article tells the story of the restoration of this castle and documents the curated house parties with elegant international guests.

Around the same time, my photographer and printmaker, who collects vintage photo collections from estate sales, thrift stores and other places where memories are discarded, discovered a treasure of a couple’s travels through Europe and the States. They are around the same time period as the LOOK magazine photos and when he saw the slides, he knew they were right up my artistic alley.  The slides are so authentic and much less glamorous and curated than the article, and obviously the photos were not taken by professionals, just a husband and wife trying to capture their time together.  They visit places like the Alhambra in Spain, and sunbathe next to breezblocked archways.

I began to fall in love with the comparison of these two sets of images. I have titled the show “To Make a Memory,” a comment on the subtle differences between the curated or candid qualities of our memory making.  You’ll notice visual themes that thread through both sets of images, such as the arches, tiles, light source and color.

My work as always begged the question, “What is beautiful to us?” How and why do we remember our moments? What do we pay attention to? What do we forget, abstract, and what do we hold onto in careful detail?