School Lunch
Stephanie Maria (Natick, MA)
Mixed Media, Acrylic on Ceramic/Porcelain, 11.5” W x 11.5” H
Artwork:
Gun Violence and mass shootings in schools.
Artist Statement:
While drifting through flea markets full of discarded vintage plates, I imagine the hopes and dreams of the former owners as they set the table. Heirloom China with delicate floral patterns are a metaphor for a home filled with happy families, lovely decor and Holiday meals on porcelain dinnerware.
After painting a few platters with images of guns I realized that I am expressing the fading of this dream by juxtaposing symbols of a charmed domestic life with symbols of gun violence and shocking loss.
Large scale painting is my strong suit, however the process of carefully bonding these images onto the relatively small surface of a dinner plate has been a refreshing change of pace. After years of making a living as a decorative artist the practice of applying various paint finishes and murals has given me the ability to paint abstractly and colorfully, as well as create detailed trompe l’oeil imagery, seen in my mixed media work submitted for this show.
From the We're Doing It ALL Wrong® - 4th Annual Art Exhibition