Christine D’Epiro Abbott, The Ongoing Construction of Sunshine City
oil on canvas, 44” x 40”
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The artist on the piece:
“This piece was inspired by our family's daily activities, like most of my work. I love the metaphor of Sunshine City that has been (unknowingly and organically) developed by our son Joel. Last year, his preschool classroom, the Sunshine Room, spent a week planning and building their own city, "Sunshine City." Joel and his classmates decided cooperatively what should be included in their metropolis (farm, Target, library, a car wash, were a few places that made the cut). With a collection of recycled materials and the assistance of the teachers and their glue gun, Sunshine City was built to accommodate the classes cars, etc. The two story city was so popular it stayed up an extra week. Ever since that project, any urban development at our house has been a part of that ongoing construction and aptly titled Sunshine City. To capture this pursuit, I resurrected an older painting, "Construction," with abstracted floating books/brick shapes and painted "The Ongoing Construction of Sunshine City" on top. The subject matter really seemed to be good fit. As Sunshine City, months later, continues to be taken apart and rebuilt anew, it has really evolved into being what I would consider Joel's ideal city over which, as one of two chief creators, a place where he can exert ultimate influence. So, for example, Joel will routinely inform me that "no one pollutes" in Sunshine City, and "no one eats shark fin soup." (We have been watching/reading a lot about animals which also includes their threats). Although Sunshine City has a bad guy, Baby Booby (worth another story), ultimately good wins. It's not quite heaven but I still love the metaphoric possibility.”
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Christine D’Epiro Abbott
“I create abstracted representations of my family’s domestic interior with printmaking methods. Inspired by the occupation of parenthood, the work starts as an observational drawing on a surface for printing, recording the spontaneous composition of belongings as they are found.
Abstraction and repetition emphasize movement and add to the complexity of the scene as a frequently visited lived-in space. In some areas, the recognizable depiction dissolves altogether into a formal pursuit of shape, color, and texture. The finished composition presents rooms that are both real and imagined, inviting the viewer into our ordinary and vibrant world.”
