Ex-Votos
Ex-Votos: Series Notes
in 2015, I had the good fortune of traveling to Italy. While visiting numerous Churches I was struck by the many displays of small, metal reliefs depicting fragments of the body. Ex Votos, as they are called, are placed in chapels by people seeking cures for ailments and by those who have been cured as a sign of gratitude. The accumulation of these objects, isolated body parts out of scale with one another, created a quilt-like portrait of the humans visiting these spaces, their devotion, supplication and belief. It stood in stark contrast to the perfect renaissance depictions made by one master and permanently affixed in frescos. These portable amulets serve the function of representing individual devotion on a decidedly humble scale.
The incredible palettes of the frescos and paintings in the same Churches began to blend in my mind with the imagery of the fragmented body parts from the Ex-Votos. This flickering mental picture gave me permission and inspiration to expand beyond tracing the body and embrace a wider pallet and render the body in new ways. I started using my imagination to inventory human fragments that speak to my physical experience; eyes, breasts, feet, hands, a uterus and a foot ensconced in high heels. The unexpected arrangement of these familiar parts can be comical and surreal but also speak to the awkwardness of these fleshy forms we find ourselves in. The process of painting is an act of faith and sometimes a testament to its powers and hopefully a way to communicate with others. I see so much in common with the Ex-Votos.
