This little umbrella came from a smoothie at one one of my favorite take out places. Ive been eating there since I was really little and this little paper umbrella gives me a lot of nostalgia. To be completely honest I hadn't thought about it for a while until I found it on out kitchen a few days ago. I think sometimes it the most insignificant things that we don't realize hold a special place in our hearts until we really think about it. That's why I set up the shot the way I did, to isolate the little things we don't often notice and bring them into the spotlight.
Wooden Duck (Crystalize)
Wooden Duck (Original)
Artist Statement-
This wooden duck was handmade by my great uncle. He passed away and though I wasn't very close to him, its little things like this that make me feel that we have some sort of connection. My great uncle was a little bit of a quirky guy and making wooden ducks was just one of his little quirky things that he did. I really like the original picture I took of this duck because you can really see all the little brushstrokes and the grain of the wood. Its like you can see the work that went into making it.
Bottle cap (Mosaic)
Bottle Cap (Original)
Artist Statement-
From a young age I always enjoyed collecting bottle caps. I remember when I was little I kept a little collection of them in the cupholder in my car seat. This bottle cap is from a soda I got at my favorite taco place. As for the way I photographed it, I felt it was best to photograph it how I usually find bottle caps- just laying there on the ground. They don't need to be particularly striking for us to want to pick them up now do they?
Fork (Mezzotint)
Fork (Original)
Artist Statement-
To be completely honest I didn't originally know why I wanted to take a photo of this specific subject. It's a simple thing, something we see everyday, my parents have had these forks for as long as I can remember. But then I realized- I couldn't realize using a different fork. If we got new forks, I would know. That why I wanted to take a picture of it, to preserve it, so I don't forget that those were the forks we always used.
Butter Dish (Pointalize)
Butter Dish (Original)
Artist Statement-
This Butter dish belonged to my great grandmother. Now I never met her (and from what I've heard we do not have much in common). One thing we do her though is our name, her first and my middle but a name all the same. The whole time I was taking these photos all I would think was 'what does this tell me about great grandma". I don't think I've figure it out yet.