When I think of Home Series | rociograhamstudio

Artist Statement:

I work within the boundaries of my garden with still lives, organic compositions and compost. The organic still lives in my work have biographical notes that cover not only the realm of home but also tell stories about my life in a subtle hidden manner. My work starts the moment I plant a seed and nurture it to the stages of maturity, flowering and decay, eventually becoming soil for future plants. It’s a labour intensive process that allows me to explore the landscape as a physical and mystic space where time and nature become my creative allies. I use organic materials that are methodically planned, nursed and harvested according their aesthetic qualities that later are used in my compositions; similar to how a painter uses pigments to create work. From seed to harvest, to the creation of a still life, a year can pass which allows me to attune to nature’s cycles. I’m inspired by the light and the metaphors of XVII Dutch still life paintings. This genre, once considered of lesser importance, fits with the devaluation of labour that is inherent in garden and domestic work.

“Still life seems to have three strikes against it as subject of scholarly inquiry: frivolity, felinity and familiarity” (Clinberg: 56). The felinity or the savage nature of still life fits the underlying tones of my work where the rawness of life, the flourishing and the decay mix together to reflect on the contradictions and tensions I see in life. Labour, body investment, life cycles and the landscape are a constant in my work.

Cited Work

Clintberg, Mark, Dr. “ The artist’s Restaurant : Taste and the Performative Still

Life” Thesis. Concordia University, 2013.

When I think of home #1 “ Still Life Seems to have Three strikes against it as subject of scholarly inquiry: frivolity, felinity and familiarity” ( Clinberg: 56). The felinity or the savage nature of still life fits the underlying tones of my work where the rawness of life, the flourishing and the decay mix together to reflect on the contradictions and tensions I see in the life. Inspired by vanitas and abstract expressionist paintings, I use organic material as a metaphor for the inner landscape	When I think of home # 2	When I think of home #3
When I think of home #4	When I think of home#5	When I think of home#8V2- 120 DPI_20170131_1879
When I think of home #9 (Organic Portrait Lougheed House)120DPI -2018	When I think of home #11 (Organic portrait of Lougheed House) 120 DPI_DSC2251	When I think of home #7
	When I think of Home # 13	small-Final-V2- When I think of home 14.
Freezer Garden #2	Freezer Garden #3	Freezer Garden #1
Frozen IG	Fridays dinner After preparing dinner for my family I proceeded to " add value" and like a refinery "re process" the remnant of our daily consumption. By creating still lives from the compost bin I was re using a byproduct of our dinners.	Saturday's dinner After preparing dinner for my family I proceeded to " add value" and like a refinery "re process" the remnant of our daily consumption. By creating still lives from the compost bin I was re using a byproduct of our dinners.
Monday's dinner- Mussels and leeks After preparing dinner for my family I proceeded to " add value" and like a refinery "re process" the remnant of our daily consumption. By creating still lives from the compost bin I was re using a byproduct of our dinners.	Morning snack After preparing dinner for my family I proceeded to " add value" and like a refinery "re process" the remnant of our daily consumption. By creating still lives from the compost bin I was re using a by-product of our food.	Smoothie After preparing dinner for my family I proceeded to " add value" and like a refinery "re process" the remnant of our daily consumption. By creating still lives from the compost bin I was re using a by-product of our food.
Homegrown tomatoes #2 I grew these tomatoes from seed and like a any precious belonging I photograph them in a rich indulging setting.	Homegrown Tomatoes #1 I grew these tomatoes from seed and like a any precious belonging I photograph them in a rich indulging setting.	After dinner
Bread and butter for sick days As part of the Hear/d Art residency I collected people's stories and memories that have a strong emotional resonance with the person sharing the memory. I then tried to re imagine the scene visually as a way to make the memory some variation and anchor to our collective healing knowledge.	View of Alacena Perdida Installation “Alacena Perdida” (Lost Pantry) attempts to create a place for thoughtful reflection on our food security, and our ability to empower ourselves through traditional production and preservation. Catalogued and displayed similarly to a 17th century Cabinet of Curiosities , I show the food products that I have grown and preserved myself or that I have traded. This type of pantry is a rarity in modern times thus rendering it a kind of contemporary cabinet of curiosities.	Alacena Perdida installation notes Visitors to the gallery recorded their observations in a book. “Alacena Perdida” (Lost Pantry) attempts to create a place for thoughtful reflection on our food security. Catalogued and displayed similarly to a 17th century Cabinet of Curiosities , I show the food products that I have grown and preserved myself or that I have traded. This type of pantry is a rarity in modern times thus rendering it a kind of contemporary cabinet of curiosities.
Alacena Perdida exploration sessions From the installation “Alacena Perdida”. Visitors attended exploration sessions where they consumed the canned foods displayed in the cabinet of curiosities.	Untitled 1	Untitled 2
100dpi-gloves-Untitled 1	100dpi-sprayUntitled 1