Artist Julie Blackmon creates photographs of her family’s everyday life at home. Imaginary scenes of stress, chaos, and charm are seen in her current exhibition “The Power of Now and Other Tales from Home” at the Springfield Art Museum in Missouri. Blackmon knows a thing or two about domestic disarray: she’s the oldest of nine children, and now mother of three.
“The Power of Now and Other Tales from Home” is a perfect complement to the Museum’s concurrent exhibition “The Dissolute Household” which examines the long tradition of artists depicting dysfunctional, messy and frenzied family life. From 17th century Dutch painter Jan Steen who favored overturned tables and dirty dishes on the floor, and 20th century German artist Max Beckmann (who lived in poverty in exile in Amsterdam), to 21st century artist Brian Paulsen who for many years shared a studio with his cabinetmaker father.
Julie Blackmon, Portrait, photograph. Springfield Art Museum.
