Evin Luettke

Drug Rug - Oil on canvas - 40” x 60” - $900.00 

Frosted Tips - Oil on canvas - 40” x 60”  - $1,000.00

Artist's Statement

    The way that the world remembers moments has largely relied on photographs since the 20^th century. We use photos to record our lives, and to look back or recall where we were and who we were around. However, as technology changes, the authenticity of these moments seems to have changed as well. Kodak snap-shots are phase of the past, and now the world consumes photos constantly through their phones and social media. Because of this, it seems photos have lost some value of honesty, in comparison to the printed photos from the generations before my own. I would like highlight this phenomenon and bring these Kodak moments back to life.

Family photos offer an immediate relatability and I believe present a window of nostalgia to observers. There is something striking in these simple images and I think we all have some connection to the idea of family, no matter the extent or experience. In painting these Kodak moments, I hope to convey the notion of nostalgia, remembrance, and the inherent value of relationship between people. I will never fully relate to these photographic recollections, but I can imagine or fictionalize a narrative that gives me personal insight and connection to them. We all have a history and a past created by those who came before us and will eventually have a past with those who surround us today. While the subjects in these photographs are personally valuable to me, if the style of a shirt, a setting, or even a color can summon a memory, I hope a special contact has been created between the viewer and the painting. In translating these past photographs through painting, I wish to elevate the status or importance of these forgotten Kodak images and the memories attached to them.

Links

Instagram: @your_uncle_vinny

If you wish to purchase any of these pieces, please contact the gallery director, Jacqueline Nathan (jnathan@bgsu.edu.)