Studies for Little Tube House and the Night Sky combined my gouache paintings, dioramas, and architectural sculpture to transform the gallery space into a poetic contemplation of friendship, death, and connection. It takes inspiration from a diminutive structure with tubes and protruding wires that I saw once near Lake Superior in Duluth, Minnesota. When a young friend became ill and passed away, I began a series of gouache paintings depicting a small, pale house with pipes and cables frantically reaching out into a large and formidable darkness. The images form a poetic narrative representing my friend’s energy, spirit, and connection to the Universe. While remaining grounded and connected to Earth, the searching tubes eventually reach the stars. The night sky hints at the larger universe that the little tube house longs to occupy. While this piece specifically references my friend, it also alludes to our collective journey into the unknown. In addition to the gouache paintings, small-scale dioramas of Little Tube House and a sculpture as large as life, filling the darkened gallery at Mixed Greens, served as studies for a more expansive exhibition.

Photo Credit: Etienne Frossard