Provenance Unknown Canceled Paintings

I am fascinated by the artistic process: how we determine what is “art”; the final product that artists present to the world; what has value in the cultural market; and what is never seen in the process of making art. Only witnessed by the artist in their studio. As an artist I am interested in the development of work within my own practice and within the community of artists around me. I believe the methodology of art making is where the creative process is most vital. The internal conversation as we focused on the act of making is perhaps more genuine as it occurs without the external pressures of the art world. Providence Unknown is one series that is part of a larger body of work that questions issues of value, providence, authorship and the structures in place for the teaching of art. I have been student of, and have been teaching in an art institution for many years and have witnessed the teaching of art evolve into an elaborate system that sustains itself as it guides young artists through their development. Providence Unknown is the body of work that began this new direction in my inquiries. At the end of each year at my workplace paintings by students that are not picked up by a given date are cut and put side so the stretcher material can be sold to a student the following year. When I found the discarded canvases in the hallway, I was struck by the absence of the missing image and paradox of nurturing and destroying within the artistic process.