Lorraine Heitzman

This work began as a series of 24 collages made from paper, postcards and recycled packaging.  The postcards were inherited from my mother’s collection of postcards that she obsessively amassed over her lifetime during travels and visits to museums.  In 2008 I had to empty out my parents’ home, and these cards were one of the few things I saved.  The following year when I began this series, I used the postcards, not only for their visual and historical references, but also as a reminder of my mother, an artist herself.  Working on these collages gave me a sense of collaboration with her even though she suffered from Alzheimer’s and had lost her memory for which the postcards were once meant to serve.   The postcards were a catalyst for me to create, and at the same time transform, both literally and figuratively, my mother’s choices into my own.

I am now working on a series of 15 inch by 20 inch collages, revolving  around a church theme.  These too were inspired by a postcard collection: specifically a thorough collection of postcards  depicting churches from across the United States.  The new works revive  my longstanding interest in architecture.

Concurrently, I am also making a series of smaller collages in an effort to work out new ideas in a faster mode and exploring more painterly concepts.