The Family Series began in early 2012 in response to a juried exhibition at the Fairfield Public Library for the book The Watch that Ends the Night by Allan Wolf. The book retells the epic story of the Titanic, written in poetic verse from multiple perspectives (the guests, the workers, the rich, the poor, the iceberg and a rat). Read the statement to the piece Across the Atlantic here >>

My surname was referenced as one of the lookouts on the Titanic and it sent chills down my spine. The book wove together imagery, textures, mysteries and a hidden history that inspired me. I had been slowly collecting photographs of my relatives and ancestors and something clicked. How did these people connect? What chance and luck brought them together? Who else is out there related to me? What are their stories? How do they affect my story?

These artworks are created by scanning family photographs and then printing them out onto parchment paper. The photos are torn and lacquered multiple times, often with mineral powders containing pure pigments of gold and metallic blues that I purchased in Venice. Additional imagery is culled from books with historic imagery, such as Heck’s Iconographic Encyclopedia of Sciences, Literature and Art: Pictorial Archive of Nature and Science. These are accented by machine stitching that is done on my Singer sewing machine and then lacquered and sprinkled with pigments.

“Across the Atlantic” Mixed Media, 2012

Pieces are sewn together with bookbinding thread that I dye with Fiber Reactive Procion Dye. The thread is always waxed with beeswax, according to bookbinding traditions. Some of the photographs are also sewn together with my Singer before the lacquer.

I apologize for the photographs, as this process produces a very shiny surface which is difficult to document!

“Across the Atlantic,” shown above, features images of my father and his twin brother, my parents in Vermont and my German relatives from Bavaria. My step-Grandmother Genevieve, is at the top left, in a photo that I found from her things after she passed. I believe it was taken in Germany when she was younger. I still have the shoes that she is wearing. At the right are images from my mother’s German side of the family.

“Zur Erinnerung” 20 x 24″ Mixed Media

This collage features images from Germany and coming to America. My maternal grandfather, Fred (Sebastian) Kufer is shown on the left posing at a port with a ship in the background. Above is his second wife, Genevieve. At the top is the writing from a photograph of a sports club that my grandfather was a member of. The writing, “Zur Erinnergung an die Heimat,” means “Memories of Home.”

“Piecing Together” 20 x 24″ Mixed Media

Commissions: Turn Heirlooms into Art
I gladly accept commissions to create a collage utilizing your own family photographs. Turn your own heirlooms into art to display on your wall safely, without damaging vintage photographs with air and light. The original photos are unharmed and the process also digitally archives your photographs (a CD of your photos is included). Negatives and slides are also accepted. Read more about the works and commissions here >>