This work is one of a series that explores what it should mean to live in the USA, a country primarily of immigrants. In this work I took designs from Islamic culture and painted them on both sides of a transparent mylar (plastic) sheet. In one side I have the original colors, and the other side is in the red, white, and blue of the US flag. By harmonizing the two sided composition, my hope is to show that disparate groups can and should live harmoniously in the States as well. The painting is translucent and resembles stained glass when in diffused sunlight. The stained glass effect is meant to bring to mind the sacredness of the United States’ American experiment.

Tricia Townes

Message

Follow

I make work to heal myself and others. I am primarily a painter whose goal is to universalize common experiences of dysfunction and unease in order to heal them. Specifically I make psychological portraits of friends and family members, socially engaged artworks, and compositions of designs from marginalized cultures that position them as first-class US citizens. I have an MFA from UNC-Greensboro, and I live and work in Nashville, Tennessee. I have exhibited in Miami, New York, Chicago, and Saõ Paulo. I have also participated in residencies at Skowhegan, The Fine Arts Work Center, Mass MoCA, among others.