September 2020
This month’s gallery is a collection of these artists’ core memories- the memories we have of formative experiences that happened in our younger years. Some artists were inspired by nostalgia from their childhoods, and others chose to dig into how these memories shape us into the people we are now.
Gillian Peterson
“These paintings are from a particularly eye-opening and difficult time in my life. They represent my journey of becoming disturbingly aware of the human experience, our flaws and grotesque behaviors as a species, and ultimately accepting that I cannot be responsible for anyone but myself, and that we all have the potential and resources to create and experience amazing things despite all the horrors of our world.”
Mckenna Flekman
“My mom used to own a flower shop so there are always flowers around the house and in the backyard. She knows every name of every flower and would point each one out to me when I was little. It’s just me and my mom, soi I chose to depict a girl because our family is strong and female and we surround ourselves with nature. It’s painted on an old record because there has never been a moment in my life without music. I am always singing and always listening. Music, flowers and femininity are three things that have always been important to me and those are my core memories.”
Ashanti Grace
“This photo reminds me of feeling lost at sea (although) I never have been. It feels like waves crashing over you as the struggle to stay afloat and then suddenly seeing a buoy clear as day and then for a moment just a moment all you feel is relief.”
Ashanti Grace
“This feels like something I wasn't supposed to see. I feel like she is apart of this lush green bush behind are almost like she came from it.... as if she came from a different world completely. It's like something I was never supposed to remember in the first place.”
India Mchale
“I did this piece on my childhood memories. I spent my childhood in England so I reflected on my most memorable times living there. I tried to capture the feeling I had during that moment in time. The pieces feature my childhood back yard, a car ride to the beach with my best friend, music festivals, A willow tree that reminds me of where I grew up and sand dunes that my friend and I used to play on for hours on family vacations. I didn't use reference photos of these places as I wanted to draw it exactly how I remembered it in my head.”
Jamie L. Botero
“I have a thing for painting paleolithic babes, I believe it's because as a child I was obsessed with documentaries about paleolithic people and their art. They are also what inspired me to draw how I wanted and what I wanted. These people lived in a world with no likes or follows, they drew what made them happy and that's that. I think we can learn from a thing or two from them about being free creatively."
Anna Young
“This is a drawing of the Beastie Boys! I made it because I love the beastie boys and their music. I was introduced to it by my mom when I was younger and she always plays it, I have a lot of good memories to their songs.”
Elisa Matalon
“I remember being around eight or 9 when I saw my mom’s back as she got dressed to go outside, and being struck with a sense of admiration and wonder. She was so graceful and strong, and it was then that I really had an image of what it meant to be a woman in my mind. I felt like I had seen my legacy, the line of women and mothers and teachers and sisters, the self-sacrificing and the resilient before me.”
Avery Mandingo
“Growing up in Michigan as a Pisces has had a huge influence on how I view the world. The hazy landscapes through my dreamy perspective have left me in a perpetual dreamstate.”
Shreya Patel
“When I look at all of the objects I paste up on my walls, I am reminded of the core memories I made when collecting them. Moreover, I remember the time I spontaneously visited a gallery with my friends from the artist postcards I’ve bought, the nostalgia of eating lunch in elementary school from the apple juice boxes taped alongside the friendship bracelets I’ve collected, and the moments of pure creativity felt in the scraps of paper I’ve kept after making a mixed media piece. In a way, my wall is an extension of me.”