Painting
Childhood Dreaming, Oil on Canvas, 36 X 48in
This painting is a collage of my siblings and I in our early childhood years. The depiction focuses on the close relationship I had with my siblings growing up. All our time was spent together, finding the most random activities to do. As children our imagination ran wild, almost as if living in a constant state of dream. This painting aims to capture that dream state with the lack of grounding of the figures along with the stylized background.
Tomboys, Oil on Canvas, 48 X 60in
This painting is a mashup of multiple photos taking during my childhood. I chose these images because I know they are not typical, but it was a typical day in the life of my sister and me. Dad would bring home his kill of the day, and mom would take pictures of us posed with them. The animals ranged from ducks, deer, coyotes, and many others. Sometimes, we would go out of our way to capture our own kill, such as the frogs held by two of the figures. I often think back to my childhood, and my life is so different now that it seems almost like a dream, and I wanted to capture that in this painting. The stylized background and the ungrounded figures are my way of achieving this.
Utilitarian Ceramics
The thought behind this wheel thrown dinnerware set was a tie back to my childhood. This set was inspired by 1970s/1980s dinnerware, particularly the dishes in my grandparents’ house. Like many of my other works, my ceramics is heavily inspired by the ways I grew up and formed by my memories. Many of my most important memories are centered around the Sunday suppers that took place at my grandparent’s house, so this set is an ode to those memories. The set consists of eight bowls, eight mugs, eight plates, eight dessert plates, three sizes of serving bowls, and two casserole dishes.
Artist Statement
Since I no longer live in the small town, I often aim to capture the feeling of home within my paintings, whether it is something particular that I am referencing to from home, or a specific scene from my hometown. Home is very important to me being from a place where everyone knows everyone, and I want to share that feeling with the viewer. Nostalgia and longing are feelings that are present in most of my pieces. Not everyone knows what it is like to grow up in that kind of environment, and I think it is a very romanticized environment to be in. The work that I have been making recently ties directly into the good memories I made as a child, and I aim to tap into those memories when making art to involve as much feeling as possible.
I did not think this would ever have been the subject of my work until I moved away from home and thought of my town from a distance. It was not until recently that I embraced this topic to work from. Part of me choses this subject due to homesickness. This is my fourth year of being away from home and in a bigger city, and I long to go back and relive my childhood, so making art about the town and upbringing really helps me deal with those feelings, along with getting to share those experiences with outsiders.
Since I no longer live in the small town, I often aim to capture the feeling of home within my paintings, whether it is something particular that I am referencing to from home, or a specific scene from my hometown. Home is very important to me being from a place where everyone knows everyone, and I want to share that feeling with the viewer. Nostalgia and longing are feelings that are present in most of my pieces. Not everyone knows what it is like to grow up in that kind of environment, and I think it is a very romanticized environment to be in. The work that I have been making recently ties directly into the good memories I made as a child, and I aim to tap into those memories when making art to involve as much feeling as possible.
I did not think this would ever have been the subject of my work until I moved away from home and thought of my town from a distance. It was not until recently that I embraced this topic to work from. Part of me choses this subject due to homesickness. This is my fourth year of being away from home and in a bigger city, and I long to go back and relive my childhood, so making art about the town and upbringing really helps me deal with those feelings, along with getting to share those experiences with outsiders.
Instagram: @gracembaalmanart
Email: 2017gbaalman@gmail.com
Email: 2017gbaalman@gmail.com