Flotsam/Jetsam

Buckman Performing Arts Center

Much of my art comes our of a lifetime looking at and exploring farms, silos, barns and falling down shacks. This spring, the landscapes we live in were changed in a big way by the weather, and so were people's lives. The idea for this series was to use the debris left behind by the flood to create "portraits" of places that have been affected by the recent storms.

Since I was a child, I've collected things that other people have thrown away, but were attractive to me for some reason. I learned early on to find artifacts in the mud, even digging holes so deep my father had to help me in and out.

My grandmother lived right next to major power lines and transformers. We walked those power lines to go fishing, or to the corner store. The lines were kept clean by AP&L, so, like the animals in the country, we used them like highways. The shapes of those lines going from poles, to transformers, to homes made up part of my environment and still do today.

My other grandma lived on the lake. During the summer my sister and I were in the water more than out. My grandma was afraid of the water and storms. I can remember her walking down to the lake maybe twice. She sat on the balcony that was 30 yards from the lake. During a storm she would sit on her couch with a life vest on. I remember a lot of storms.

There was a juke joint on this lake called The Rendezvous. Mom liked to point out the neighbors' cars in the parking lot. I really enjoyed that. My brother would have me push open the door to another joint so we could have a look see. I love a juke joint to this day; I think I inherited that from my grandpa. He loved to pull a cork.

As children we were allowed to explore and roam free, until dinner. For a toy we had a broken down rusty 50's truck hidden among the weeds in a field to play in. My cousin and I spent many hours with all the snakes and bugs you can imagine, shifting gears and pretending something or other. So, you can understand how these images of trucks, tractors and shacks are precious to me.

For this project I spent three months collecting trash. This flood has left an amazing amount of debris behind. I found over 400 lighters, 200 combs, dozens of rusty smashed cans, toys, bottles, plastic pens, hair curlers, rusty metal parts, broken ceramic, and much more. When the river rises, it also washes open old dumps covered with dirt for decades, and you can find vintage bottles and broken dishes. I also took up painting again. Thanks, Carol, for the lessons. I used images that are dear to me, added a few things for my enjoyment and plenty for you to discover.

Karen Bottle Capps, August 2011, Memphis, Tennessee