Home Sweet Home: Exploring Home and Identity
Exhibition Overview:
Home Sweet Home is a solo exhibition that examines the existential concept of home through paintings that explore personal
identity, family relationships, societal expectations, religious influences, and the natural world. This collection of works reflects deeply personal narratives while also addressing universal themes
of belonging, memory, and cultural inheritance. Spanning oil paintings and watercolors, the exhibition invites viewers to consider how home is not only a physical space but a psychological and
cultural construct that shapes our sense of self.
Themes & Concepts:
The exhibition is divided into five thematic categories:
Self – The evolving nature of personal identity and self-perception over time.
Family – Generational connections, personal histories, and inherited traditions.
Society – The external forces that shape identity, social constructs, and political movements.
Religion – The intersection of faith, tradition, and personal belief systems.
Nature – The role of the natural world in self-discovery and the search for belonging.
Artistic Influences & Techniques:
The paintings incorporate a range of artistic influences, from classical realism to contemporary social commentary. Text appears
frequently, whether through collaged newspaper clippings, engraved inscriptions, or painted lettering, reinforcing the interplay between personal narrative and broader cultural discourse. Symbolism
plays a crucial role, whether in recurring motifs of mirrors, butterflies, or historical references, to deepen the viewer’s engagement with the works.
Proposal Adaptability:
This exhibition consists of a flexible number of works, making it adaptable to different venues. The oil paintings vary in size,
from intimate 30" x 24" canvases to a large 72" x 108" hexaptych. The Watercolor Beauty Series offers a smaller-scale counterpoint, while triptychs and multi-panel works allow for dynamic
installations.
Artworks Included:
Reflections – A series of five landscapes incorporating mirrors to symbolize finding
oneself in nature.
Infinite Regression – A series of five paintings depicting symbolic objects in a foyer
mirror, revealing hidden struggles within the household.
Metamorphosis – A triptych of a multigenerational family wrapped in monarch butterflies,
signifying transformation and connection.
Mending My Inner Child – A deeply personal painting of self-repair through the metaphor of
sewing, addressing childhood trauma and healing.
When Reality is a Metaphor and Then the Metaphor Becomes a Reality – A symbolic painting
responding to political unrest and religious influence in America.
Family Tree – A narrative painting exploring the connection to maternal and paternal
grandparents through memory and place.
The Space Between Me – A triptych reflecting on personal transformation from young
adulthood to retirement, with text questioning identity across time.
So Much Depends – A portrait of the artist’s husband, intertwined with The Red
Wheelbarrow poem, reflecting the foundation of home and stability.
The Pacifists – A hexaptych of ethnically diverse babies sucking on pacifiers imprinted
with peace symbols, questioning inherited divisions and the possibility of harmony.
Tulips – A still life of a gifted bouquet juxtaposed with framed photographs,
representing love, memory, and the passage of time in a marriage.
Selfieish – A stark commentary on wealth and poverty, juxtaposing a homeless man with a
woman taking a selfie, critiquing modern societal detachment.
Because Timo Came to America & Because Tha Tha Came to America – Two paintings of
the Statue of Liberty in traditional Mexican and Indian attire, honoring immigrant heritage and challenging notions of American identity.
The Things You Can See - A narrative painting about
parenting and shared experiences.
70th
Cinco de Mayo (poem excerpt “A Friend” by Carmen Sylva - A commentary about aging.
Watercolor Beauty Series – Ten watercolors recreating 1960s–70s beauty ads with the artist’s own face replacing
the original models, critiquing idealized beauty standards and self-perception.
The Urgency of Now - A reimagining the 2020 Black Lives Matter protest at the
Lincoln Memorial is a confrontation between past and present, challenging the viewer to question the evolving meaning of freedom in America.
Wallflower - Reflects on the impact and isolating nature of social media.
Watercolor Beauty Series – Ten watercolors recreating 1960s–70s beauty ads with the
artist’s own face replacing the original models, critiquing idealized beauty standards and self-perception.
To view the above mentioned works, Click on Oil Paintings and/or Watercolor Paintings located in the menu at the top of this page.
Conclusion:
Through deeply personal yet widely resonant imagery, Home Sweet Home invites viewers to consider their own narratives of home and
identity. This exhibition is not merely a collection of paintings but a dialogue—between past and present, self and society, memory and reality. It is an invitation to step into these stories and
find, within them, a reflection of one’s own journey home.
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