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- Edwina Morrissey
Edwina
Morrissey
A HAUNTING
Using paint and a myriad of other materials, I have reconstructed the concept of the ‘perfect family’ enjoying joyful moments and occasions to show the unspoken dysfunctionality beneath. I’ve created a personal archive of these images gathered through the years and generations. Contained in these scenes of family gatherings are ‘small memories’ – memories of everyday, ordinary people around the family home as opposed to historical or political events. This archive of family events and interactions holds sentimental value to relatives and to people who have personal ties to the subject matter. However, putting the paintings in the public domain, I am opening up this collection of personal small memories to interpretation by those unfamiliar with the subjects and subject matter as well as illustrating my own perspective on them. I have attempted to expose the less palatable realities of the family scenes, enlarging and uncovering some of the truths behind the happy scenes and using paint to provoke the thoughts of the viewer, creating a haunting, sinister atmosphere. The addition of the haunting tone serves to perpetuate the notion of deeper, far more troubling familial issues lurking beneath the puritanical exterior.