These paintings draw inspiration from the abundance of representations of nature that pervade the domestic landscape and in my belief that the proliferation of this imagery inhibits our ability to perceive ourselves as parts of nature. By deconstructing the least noticed representations of nature, I seek to expose our conceptions of nature as social constructions mediated by a culture that values standardization and homogenization. I use the floral patterning on mattresses as an example of an unnoticed, ready-made depiction of nature that, when extracted from its functional context, can be understood as symbolic of femininity, fertility, and beauty.

By re-framing these images within a greenhouse structure, I can conjure some of their lost power; illuminate what they are in a way that relates them to their origin in living nature. I consciously choose artifacts that reflect the American mythology of nature but the majority of the people who own these types of furnishings and decorations do not. Their floral mattresses, rugs, and wallpaper go unnoticed, and are accepted as unobtrusive and conventional. I use these images to call attention to the ways our philosophies of nature are implicit in its representations.