“Key Caller” is an Army spouse role where a phone chain is used to help disseminate information to other spouses. This painting is about staying connected with family and friends throughout the years while away. So much of my marriage has been held together with phone conversations during time’s of separation from my husband whether it’s during deployments or unaccompanied assignments abroad. So many conversations from excitement to final conversations with loved ones have been over the phone. After my mother’s death in 2020, there have been multiple times too that I wish I could just pick up the phone and tell her about my day. I chose the style of this painting to be reminiscent of a 1950’s era advertisement about the phone, and staying connected. Also, to fit in with my overall theme within this series. The use of fabric gives the painting a graphic feel, in the sense that the patterns are flat and busy in contrast to the simple color scheme and some depth in the rendering of the figure. I want each element to push and pull the eyes from contrasting elements and colors that “dance” together. Much of my excitement in creating is about the process, the cutting, measuring, and mismatch of the fabric reminded me too of my grandmother who was an avid quilter and seamstress. I’m not a quilter, but my mother did pass down her mother’s sewing skills to me. Some of the fabric swatches were ruminants from baby clothes and blankets I made for my daughters. I wanted to add a trompe l’oeil note on the wall to pop out from the flat pink surface. I intended to place a quote or something really insightful, but I instead decided that “Call Mom” was more poignant than anything else I could think of. This is a reminder to us all to stay connected with our loved ones, and cherish those conversations.