Kathy Putnam
My recent work explores the illusory worlds of young children lost in imaginative play. I am interested in the space inhabited by children old enough to autonomously interact with their surroundings, yet still young enough to presume themselves unconditionally safe. My subjects tend to be girls, engendered with both fairy tale femininity and a perceived authority over their environments. Their invented realities convey familiar yearnings of unspoiled joy, oblivious to any vulnerabilities. However, these playful scenes are marred by slight fractures, with fanciful costumes and saturated colors challenged by rough surfaces, and illogical interruptions in forms and patterns – incongruencies that portend awaiting realities.