Lorraine Peltz

Gallery Affiliations: Micaela Gallery + Projects, Cheryl McGinnis Gallery, Rosenbaum Contemporary

Region: Midwest

Website: http://lorrainepeltz.com

City / State: Chicago, IL

My paintings are concerned with the complex nature of personal identity and public persona, particularly focusing on women and culture. Simultaneously, I have long been interested in the metaphorical potential of objects as conveyors of meaning. By incorporating the object into the mix of varied painting events on the canvas, I attempt to mimic how information comes to us and how meaning is made, bit by bit — real life alongside memory, poetry next to prose. While earlier I concentrated on objects culled from the domestic arena, such as shoes, fruit, and flowers, my current paintings use the remembered image of a chandelier and through its simultaneous resolution and dissolution bring the focus to that of memory, which can be melancholic or exuberant. In this work the image of the chandelier is often joined with patterned flowers or other decorative flourishes to present the now, particularly in relationship to women and culture. Responding both to personal imperatives and the contemporary moment I continue to explore aspects of feminist culture, including our relationship to fashion, love, and pleasure.