"ADULTERATED" is a 26-part series of wall-based hybrid works reimagining the classic wooden alphabet block through adult subject matter. The series explores the tension between what is immediately legible and what reveals itself over time as meanings are displaced or recontextualized. By using a format associated with early learning, the work exposes the fragility beneath familiar systems, shifting from innocence into carriers of psychological weight.

The process of pairing themes and images was restrictive. Some childhood early learning imagery is sparse to begin with, such as X, is almost exclusively a xylophone and has few adult correlations; Y and Z present similar limitations. Every choice eliminated others, to ensure no repetition of motifs across the 26 letters. I also had to select images suitable for a small scale. For instance, for E an explosive like dynamite renders more effectively on a small canvas than an electric chair. Selecting a pistol for P meant a gun could not be used for G, or rifle for R. Choosing handcuffs for H eliminated using shackles later, and the use of dice for D precluded other gambling motifs.
These self-imposed constraints forced a deeper exploration of vices and adult themes. The resulting combinations create a rhythmic installation that moves between playful recognition and darker associations. For example:

E pairs a fragile egg with an explosive to highlight the tension between the delicate and the destructive.

H pairs handcuffs with a heart to shifting it from law enforcement to sex and control.

J pairs a joint with a joker to reference the altered perception of being high.

Knife and Kite may cause you to think of the fragility of the kite string, given all the scraping and cutting worked into the image around the knife.

Lock is paired with Lemon, focusing on the bitterness of incarceration.

Money is paired with Moon, making money a dream (“ask for the moon”).

N pairs a noose with a nest, juxtaposing lynching with the beginning of a life cycle. 

P is represented by the adult image of a pistol and is paired with the children’s version of a pig. The combination nods to the disparaging name law enforcement officers are referenced by in some languages and positions the pistol as an enforcement firearm giving it a negative connotation.

Razor is paired with Rainbow - complete opposites when the razor is connected to suicide and the red gapping slash in the canvas.

Skull and Sunshine - self-explanatory!

An Urn represents U, with the word “Mom” inscribed on it; on the other side is a Unicorn, strengthening the idea of the uniqueness of those departed.

Violin is the children’s representation for V, while the adult counterpart is Victim or Violence, represented by a morgue tag on a (female) foot. The violin becomes the sad music we hear on crime shows (my association).

Whip paired with Wolf, turns the whip into a sex toy and the wolf to a sexual predator.

Viewed linearly, the experience becomes even more absurd or surprising. A cinematic journey through the narratives we construct to understand an increasingly absurd world.
Each work is constructed from two joined canvases. One surface presents the "adult" experience, while the raw reverse often shows a "ghostly" imprint of a childhood theme seeping through the fabric. Between these canvases, I use folded or torn fabric to create a "frozen transformation" representing the non-linear transition into adulthood.

An integrated 3D wooden block acts as the physical anchor for each piece. Labeling varies; some images are identified with vintage children's stamps, while others remain textless and need no pedagogical clarity. The construction exposes stretcher bars and seams, making the structural anatomy integral to the image. I often carry the specific color of the wooden block over into the palette of the painting.

All artworks are approximately 12 x 16 inches and are oriented horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. The complete series was created over a four-month period of intensive exploration into the "unsettling ordinary."

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