Puzzles, Figurines, and the Search for Home

I believe that objects carry residue, both literal and figurative, from the hands that touch them. With this in mind, I buy used puzzles and hand-painted figurines, the kind one would make in a 4-H class. I imagine the family or individual who assembled the puzzle and the person who selected and carefully painted each figurine. By pairing the figurine with a puzzle, and assembling the pieces with friends, I aim to connect all these people and create a new community. This community is based on the tenuous connection formed by these objects and the people who touched them.

The final product is a puzzle mounted on the wall with a figurine standing before it on a shelf made from the box the puzzle came in. The puzzles have images of New England, my residence for ten years. On some, I paint images of houses I have lived in, and phrases like "I even renovated the closets."

For me, the puzzles and figurines resonate with their histories and project a feeling of nostalgia for home, family and community.

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