Maya Miles
Artist Statement
KEEPSAKE: FIXING A HOLE
I taste things twice. I visit a memory and spit it back up.
I explore the dynamics between past, memory, and experience, and how they react with the present. This body of work is an appreciation and investigation of time and space in regards to my family history. By observing old family photos I consider the ideas behind mortality; people lost by death, people who are out of reach, and object that has been misplaced or a time that can never be revisited. Photos create emotional distance, the camera being the barrier, it becomes more intimate during the painting process, connecting me more to the memory of people and events in a tangible way. I concentrate on the emotional impact of the figures and objects displayed; the separation of visual and visceral memory. The paintings serve as an enabler of memories, welcoming the reflection on personal experiences and memories enabling engagement on a personal level.
The role of memory is crucial. Memory communicates elements of what has happened in the past, and the past provides context for the present. Old photographs provide distance between memory and present and offer the opportunity to reflect on the past.
This series is inspired by the loss of a loved one, specifically my father, although it does not unpack my grief towards his death. I would find myself going through photo albums trying to feel closer to him; a mere image of the person I can no longer touch. This has been crucial to my paintings because the loss made me realize many things I overlooked and took for granted.
My painting process investigates transparencies and the overlap of material and color in unison with breaking down an image much like how memories are fragmented. The final product is a result of action and reaction, every move being impulsive and without direction.
Life is so precious and without one blood link you might not have existed.
![Oil painting depicting close up of figure laying down with hand in front.](_images/01_mayamiles-660x655.jpg)
Room Service // 36” x 36” // Oil and house paint on canvas
![Oil painting depicting four figures with clown makeup.](_images/02_mayamiles-660x656.jpg)
Spalding // 27” x 27” // Oil and acrylic on canvas
![Oil painting depicting a close up of a green figure with goggles and sunscreen on nose.](_images/03_mayamilles-660x662.jpg)
Alien Sunbather // 10” x 10” // Oil and puffy paint on canvas
![Oil painting depicting a red figure and four red greyhounds.](_images/04_mayamiles-660x590.jpg)
To the Memory of the Same Dog // 40” x 36” // Oil and acrylic on canvas
![Oil painting depicting an abstracted newborn baby in an incubator.](_images/05_mayamiles-660x491.jpg)
Incubator // 40” x 30” // Oil on canvas
![Oil painting depicting 4 red figures on a canoe in water.](_images/06_mayamiles-660x656.jpg)
Canoe Trip // 30” x 30” // Oil, acrylic and puffy paint on canvas
![Oil painting depicting 4 figures wearing large coats in front of an apartment.](_images/07_mayamiles-660x650.jpg)
House Party // 48” x 48” // Oil, acrylic and vinyl spackle on canvas
![Oil painting portrait of green figure.](_images/08_mayamiles-660x660.jpg)
Early Ripe, Early Rotten 1 // 20” x 20” // Oil and acrylic
![Oil painting portrait of yellow figure.](_images/09_mayamiles-660x668.jpg)
Early Ripe, Early Rotten 2 // 20” x 20” // Oil and acrylic
![Oil painting portrait of red figure.](_images/10_mayamiles-660x664.jpg)
Early Ripe, Early Rotten 3 // 20” x 20” // Oil and acrylic