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Annie Terrazzo
My work has always been about trash. I don't think it started out of inspiration but a reaction to sheer poverty. Back in 2003, after moving to LA from a couple of other places, I didn't have the money to afford real materials. It wasn't really my intention, but using these found objects and used materials from thrift shops collectively told a story within the work. I was impressed at how people not only wanted to buy the work but also wanted to know the story. The story of the trash.
I got a pretty good following and sold everything I would make as fast as I could make it. I got to the point where I could afford better material, but never really went too far in that direction. The newspapers were a natural progression of my artistic endeavors. In 2007 I traveled to London for the first time. Now, getting from Heathrow Airport to the city you need to take the tube and I came in right after morning rush hour.
As I walked into the train to sit down, the floor was littered up to my knees with newspapers. Londoner's get free papers, read them on their journey and throw them on the floor of the train. I happened to be all alone on that particular tube and it's a long way into London. When I got off the train, I had a pretty good idea where things were going.
I love portraiture old and new, but really wanted to find a new and interesting way to show it. Using the newspapers to tell the story or the headlines as the heart of the person I am drawing creates a fuller understanding of the subtext or the joke I'm trying to make.
