Paper dolls
Paper Dolls originated from 2019 while I took care of my ailing Mother until her death in November that year. I remembered in the quiet moments how, when I was a child, she introduced me to paper dolls she had kept. It was the simple memories like this that flooded my mind as I watched her die. I had planned on creating this series in 2019 from the sketches and notes I had made that year, but then other things happened. It was just 2 weeks after we buried her that I learned I had Cancer, then, following my 2nd Chemo treatment when the U.S. succumbed to the Covid-19 Pandemic and necessary shelter-in-place began. When I finally gained the strength to create the work, beyond the bittersweet memories with my Mom, I realized the paper doll paintings came to symbolize so much more. Both due to my Cancer treatments, Chemo and Radiation, as well as with the Pandemic, we all needed to exert caution to avoid human contact. First, for me to avoid any sickness while my immune system was depleted and for the world to avoid spreading this awful virus. The Paper Dolls therefore also came to represent the shield we needed to present to the world for protection and the alternate selves we presented in the world during this time.
