Memory Vessel 2009

This painting is part of a series of images that deal with memory. They are based on my travels in Greece, Turkey, and Italy from 2008 - 2018. As an artist I am fascinated with how our minds deals with, creates, stores, uses, and builds memories. Do we create in our minds vessels where our memories are stored? Can memories be stored? How do they change over time and do they change with use? All kinds of questions arise when I begin to look deeply into this. I chose the form of ancient Greek vases as these shapes are lasting forms—surviving centuries to tell the story of the culture of ancient Greece.

This piece looks at the first study abroad program in 2009. It also includes the memory storytelling device of filling rooms in a house with specific memories as shown with the floor plan diagram. Also shown is an image of Plato. I find anytime I am in Greece that no matter where I am I am reminded that I am in an ancient land and the philosophy developed in those ancient times is still present in how I structure my thought and life.

The painting is 24 x 24 inches. Acrylic and oil on panel. The piece is unframed. On the back of the panel are two French cleats for easy hanging.