As you probably already know, my work is a mixture of collage and acrylic on canvas. The wallpaper (collage) came into my work while we lived in Tacoma, WA. It happened quite coincidently, as I came across a couple of large wallpaper books in a vintage store downtown Tacoma. They were cheep, only $10 and $15, and I couldn’t pass it up. Kevin and I each brought one back to our apartment in the Stadium District. This spontaneous purchase would steer my work in a brand new direction. These, my two first books were (from what I can gather from the information on them) from the 1950’s. Maybe it was the pattern style, maybe it was Tacoma’s general 1950‘s atmosphere - don’t know?! But my work slowly but surely took a turn for thevintage. Since then I am always on the lookout for great sample books, from all decades. And I have been lucky to find a few great ones.
The idea of wallpaper, or general wall coverings gives me the chills. I remember the children’s rooms of my childhood, the brown/orange kitchens and green bathrooms. But in a new light, in small doses I like it. Love it even! When it comes to big bold patterns, it is definitely a case of Less is More. I find myself especially attracted to big flower/nature patterns - like the ones above. Not quite so vintage anymore. Maybe it is the feeling of tropical, island living. Palm trees, turquoise water and a warm breeze...
