Murphy Painting

Performative object
Acrylic gesso, canvas, wood, staples, hanging hardware
2013
22” x 76”

When I moved away from Las Vegas I began reimagining the painter’s canvas as a utilitarian device related to the body. The earliest piece, Murphy Painting (2013) was a functional Murphy bed I constructed out of a blank stretched canvas that hinged off the wall, furnished with a pillow and blanket inside. I slept in the painting for eight consecutive months, relying on its surface for rest and support.