The Stories Objects Tell: Painting on the Past to Speak to the Present

Spoon Feeding by JohnR

Found Objects as Vessels of Memory

My artistic journey has always been deeply rooted in the idea that objects carry stories. I am drawn to the quiet histories embedded in everyday items - antique teacups, dinner spoons, and other utilitarian objects that once served practical purposes in homes and lives now gone. For me, these objects are not just remnants of the past; they are vessels of memory, identity, and meaning.

Transforming the Ordinary Through Painting

By adorning them with miniature oil paintings — portraits, landscapes, and still lifes — I am literally painting on the past, reframing their purpose. What was once a spoon for nourishment or a teacup for ritual becomes a surface that demands contemplation. Their original functions are subverted, and in that transformation, new layers of meaning emerge.

History’s Fingerprints

History has always been a source of inspiration for me. Mundane or extraordinary, its artefacts seem to hold a kind of intangible power - a presence that cannot be fully explained. Each object, in its wear and design, feels like a fingerprint. It carries with it the trace of the society from which it came: its values, its fears, its practices, and its judgements. Many of those marks reflect systems that were rigid, and often oppressive.

Fluid Identities in a Digital Age

Today, however, we find ourselves in a world where identities are increasingly fluid and multifaceted. The internet, social media, and globalization have accelerated this shift, making it harder - and less relevant - to fit people into neat, outdated compartments. Identity is no longer something fixed; it is something that can evolve, transform, and expand over time.

How Painting on the Past Reveals Memory, Identity, and History

In my work, these two forces - the lingering rigidity of the past and the fluid freedom of the present - come into dialogue. The objects I paint on symbolize the weight of tradition and history, while the painted images themselves celebrate individuality, diversity, and the eclecticism of contemporary identity.

Celebrating Diversity Through Art

By fusing the old with the new, I aim to challenge how we view both objects and people. My work is a celebration of the resilience and beauty of identities that refuse to be confined, even as it acknowledges the historical weight of the structures we still carry. In the collision of past and present, I hope to highlight not only the friction but also the possibilities that emerge when we embrace the full spectrum of human identity.