Peculiar Cases Series

Peculiar Cases in Tidy Places II. Plastic, buttons, vellum, oil paint, thread. Each unit approximately 10 x 10 x 5 inches.

The Peculiar Cases series features clear plastic domes surrounding paper boxes. I sewed the plastic domes by hand, using zip-lock bags and plastic sheeting as the material. In some instances, there are buttons which allow the cases to be removed, like a garment.

A herd of blue paper boxes with oil paintings inside, enclosed in hand-sewn plastic domes.

Peculiar Cases in Tidy Places I. Plastic, paper, oil paint, gesso, thread. Each unit approximately 4.5 x 4.5 x 2 inches.

In others, the domes are sewed shut, permanently encapsulating the boxes. I think of these as protective coverings, like a bubble for an immune compromised person. The are meant to be beneficial, but ultimately restrict the experiences with the world and with each other.

Domes of hand-sewn plastic enclosing paper boxes that gradually shrink in size and turn a darker gray. There are small geometric oil paintings inside which gradually fade from pink to red.

Peculiar Cases in Tidy Places VI. Paper, plastic, oil paint, gesso, ink wash, thread. 9 x 9 x 48 inches.

I experimented with gradually shrinking the size of the domes, and connecting them to each other in a long row. This creates a kind of forced perspective, depending on which angle you view it from.

Two rows of clear plastic domes with paper boxes inside. Each box has a blue painting on top, and a red painting inside.

Peculiar Cases in Tidy Places IV. Paper, plastic, oil paint, gesso, ink wash, thread. Approximately 2.5 x 5 x 12 inches.

The units exist individually, but also corporately as herds or groups. They are cut off from each other by the plastic domes, but still have relationship through proximity.

Three white paper boxes in a row with an arc of colorful painted post-it note boxes inside, and a clear plastic dome on the top of the last box.

Hermit in a Submarine, Chapter 2. Vellum, post-it notes, plastic, oil paint, gesso, thread. Approximately 12 x 6.5 x 24 inches.

The Hermit in a Submarine series is a spin-off of the Peculiar Cases series. It features twelve “chapters,” which are individual works. The plastic domes function as partial coverings in this series, more like a greenhouse or solarium.

An installation with small paper boxes enclosed in plastic domes and suspended from the wall.

Installation view of Predicament. Paper, plastic, oil paint, thread, string, metal plant brackets. Dimensions variable with installation.

The Predicament installation series is also a spin-off of the Peculiar Cases series. It features the same clear plastic domes with paper boxes insides, but the domes are suspended mid-air by a plant bracket attached to the gallery wall. Hung from long strings, the domes sway in the breeze from passing viewers, protected, yet trapped.