Virmarie DePoyster

Exhibition Website

Aug 2 2017 - Aug 30 2017

DePoyster said, “After spending my childhood in Puerto Rico, my teen years in El Dorado taught me to love many new things: freshly made Spudnuts on a Saturday morning, shady Southern porches on hot summer days, and the treasures displayed in antique curio cabinets. One summer afternoon, a dear elderly friend and I sat on his front porch on Jefferson Street as we often did, trying to solve the problems of the world. He was in the midst of a story about finding oil when he suddenly said to me, ‘There’s something I want to show you!’ He swung open the creaky screen door and slowly made his way over to a curio cabinet. It was tall and ornate, a furniture masterpiece prominently positioned in his Southern-style living room.

“Something remarkable happened as he showed me the collections displayed within the cabinet with child-like enthusiasm; everyday items took on sacred significance, becoming placeholders for his life’s story. These tokens– ink quills, watches, Australian pennies, toothpick holders, oil-inspired memorabilia– commemorated his past and its intersection with the present and marked the high, as well as the low points, in his life. This antique curio cabinet held symbols of the most significant moments of my dear friend’s life and I was honored to witness his recollection of them.”

She continued, “Thirty years later, everyday quirky objects catch my eye, become my storyboard, and weave their way into my paintings. My intention is not to replicate these objects in my paintings but to use their colors, patterns, and shapes to recall turning moments in my life. These curiosities are the placeholders of my story.”

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website

  • Various Media
  • International
  • Virmarie DePoyster

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