we were here

This body of work began with observing my immediate environment. What I noticed, without having to go very far, was that evidence of the lives of the people around me is scattered throughout the landscape.

The paintings in this exhibition are based on discarded objects I encountered in my everyday environment, most of them within my own townhome complex or during routine errands. I’ve begun to learn about my neighbors through what they left behind. Kids eat a lot of candy and don't always pick up after themselves. The neighborhood teenagers gather around the corner pond, leaving drink cans and the remnants of late-night hangouts scattered among the rocks. Much of it eventually collects in what I've come to call the "trash swamp."

This is one way we leave a mark on the world, these objects becoming quiet records of our presence.

The moths in this exhibition are observers like me. The eyes on their wings watch over the natural world, serving as reminders to pay attention.

- Kennedy B. Holley