Embellished “Elle Décor” Spread with Harris and Llewyn (2017), Collage, marker and paint on paper, 12 x 12 in.
A manifesto is of primary importance to the person who issues it, and of almost no importance to anyone else. An artist’s manifesto is a rabbit hole of obsession and urgency, fueled by self-justification, as is the edict of motherhood. The burden of living and generating according to one’s manifesto is akin to the burden of ideal motherhood. I wanted to construct a perfect space for my children to play. I have found a beautifully designed landscape, a dream space, and punctuated it with coveted items and objects of my reality. You can make a declaration, but it will be tempered by contradictory desires, error, and laziness; the ideal is infiltrated by the actual.