Landscape of Sleep

It portrays how people go from a conscious state to one where the unconscious takes over. As sleep progresses there are outside or inner events that trigger progressions to other levels of sleep. These passages, from one stage to another are reflected in this series..

The bed motif appears in all the paintings as a symbol for sleep. It is based on an image found in ceremonial papers used in Vietnamese funerals. When a person dies; he or she is buried by burning representations of objects in the material world. These images are burned along with sheets of paper representing money and symbolic figures (gods) to provide a good life for the deceased in heaven.


In creating these paintings I begin working with acrylic on paper to seal the surface and develop the composition. In the next step I use oil paint and oil stick to enhance color and develop layers of texture and transparency. I use sleep as a metaphor for space. Creating the illusion of spatial opening by means of color and texture has been an ongoing concern of my work.

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