• When The Puppet Strings Were Cut, She Realized She Could Fly

    Graphite, Watercolor, 18 x 24"
  • When The Puppet Strings Were Cut, She Realized She Could Fly

    Graphite, Watercolor, 18 x 24"
  • Thank You For Not Rescuing

    Watercolor, Ink, 8 x 10" NFS
  • She Eats A Rainbow Every Day

    Watercolor, 18 x 24", NFS
  • She Eats A Rainbow Every Day

    Watercolor, 18 x 24", NFS
  • Exactly The Father I Was Supposed To Have, Exactly the Daughter I Was Supposed To Be

    Graphite, 18 x 24"
  • Trouble The Waters 1

    Watercolor, 8 x 11", NFS
  • Trouble The Waters 2

    Watercolor, 8 x 11", NFS
  • Trouble The Waters 3

    Watercolor, 8 x 11", NFS
  • Day Jobber

    Watercolor, 10 x 14"
  • Human Beeing

    Watercolor, Ink 12 x 18", NFS
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Figures appear in my work when I'm exploring relationships. I began a few years ago (2002-3) by focusing on the number 1 as it seemed like a perfect place to start and it represented the self. Number 1 expanded to encompass a set of personal imperatives as if I were hashing out a personal code of conduct or declaring an individual creed.

In 2005, with my father's passing, I knew that it was time to come back to the "relationship work". I didn't know where to start, but I got the novel idea to look at number "2". Two represents my relationship with an immediate "other" who holds up a mirror to me. In there I see just how kind or ugly I'm capable of being. While I began work on these I rediscovered photographs which my father took of me as I was growing up. I began redrawing his photos into the paintings in an attempt to unpack the unanswered questions of our father - daughter relationship. After 14 paintings I realized what Dad was really photographing when he filled those photo albums - himself.


© 2014-2015 Caroline Keem. All Rights Reserved.