Tracy Spadafora

Rusty Dumpster

pastel on paper

21″ x 25″ x 1″

2023

“Rusty Dumpster” is from a series called, “Left Behind”, where I explore the concepts of transformation and passage of time through peeling paint, rusting metal, and other processes of corrosion and decay. I started to photograph, draw, and paint the surfaces of the dumpsters as a way of documenting the layers of wear – searching for a history within the marks. As I examine the colors, textures, and marks on the surface of these containers, I create new “landscapes” that embody the detritus of our place and time, and act as a record of the human footprint on our environment.

@tracyspadafora

Tracy Spadafora

Melting Glacier Popsicle

Inspired by: David Seltzer, Sea Salt/Lemon Sage Henry George Todd, Study of Strawberries

encaustic and collage on wood panel

12″ x 12″ x 1.5″

2024

Like the fruit in Henry George Todd’s Study of Strawberries, my relief painting of a frozen treat may seem appetizing at first glance. As Study of Strawberries includes a symbol of our own mortality, my popsicle, juxtaposed with glaciers, uses humor, (although not Good Humor), to reminder us of an existential issue of our time, global warming. As David Seltzer uses sensory stimulation in Sea Salt / Lemon Sage, I use blackberry scented melted wax, to stir up pleasing memories. But, the message revealed by the title and the background image suggests something that conflicts with any sense of pleasure.

@traceyspadafora /tracy.spadafore