FILE FOLDER SERIES (2015)
I began the File Folder Series when I finally started to dispose of the contents of my many, many accumulated file folders. During the process of “disposal” and letting go of the past, It occurred to me that the file folder, as an object, is really wonderful, (even though one had to hang them on those metal contraptions nestled in the desk drawer) and when unfolded can hang easily on the wall with the help of a couple of push pins. The “skin” of my life’s data was, yes, “cool” to me, and of course, I got to thinking about how the contents of those folders have changed as well.
I have been interested in these issues for some time and devoted over seven years to an entire body of work addressing language and communication. This all started with the death of my Mother in 1997 and the subsequent discovery of a box of letters. The letters, cards, notes, and other written ephemera were exchanged and shared by my parents: every birthday card, anniversary card, Mother’s Day greeting, Christmas card, etc. were buried in the box. My Mother saved them all including early love letters written with a fountain pen and/or a simple pencil (long before ballpoint pens). My Father was born in 1910 and my Mother in 1912, and the cards they gave each other were made with real ribbon, lace, etc. And this all led to me doing work that examined, in part, the physical disappearance of letters and the lost emotional attachment to the letters as precious objects.
Getting back to the old ubiquitous file folder contents - there were numerous letters that were handwritten and letters typed on an old-fashioned typewriter. As I opened the file folder, the musty smell of the past and the physical act of opening the folder gave meaning to excavating the paper archives of my life.
The 23 images that I have created in/on the folders were each done basically in one sitting. Ideas just came to me as I then looked through old sketchbooks, other drawings, old writings, etc. All pieces are mixed media on paper, and acrylic, graphite, ink, and collage predominate in terms of media. The list with (working) “titles” is meant to offer insight into what each folder is about.
