Have you ever thought about how certain fabric patterns remind you of someone?  Crazy mod-retro prints make me think of my sister-in-law, who loves all things vintage, while subdued plaids in soft blues and greens make me think of nature-loving Mr. Forager.  Seattle artist Jane Richlovsky uses patterned textiles in her work, incorporating them in such a way that the personality of the era shines through.

The artist depicts domestic scenes from the mid-twentieth century, actually painting on found vintagey patterned textiles.  The result is a interesting visual style– one in which some details of the scene show depth of space, while others, usually the shapes on which the patterns come through, are flattened as the patterns appear more as cut-outs of the forms rather than strictly conforming to the shape it is covering.

Richlovsky’s work reminds us that not all was as it seemed in the “good ol’ days”.. the flatness of the patterns meet the Norman Rockwellish technicolor scenes of life we remember from movies, yet there is a cynical and almost sinister undercurrent to some of the paintings.

To see more of the work of Jane Richlovsky, please visit her website.