I grew up in central Iowa on an acreage that was considered rural land of Iowa. Today the land around my family’s home is one of the fastest growing developments in the country. Much of the land has been taken away and demolished for million-dollar homes. I have fond memories of walking the land with my father and brother as we witnessed cornfields, animal bones, and car graveyards. These memories have changed greatly since I was a youngling, such as realizing we were not just simply “hiking” through our backyards but trespassing on farmland. Car graveyards are vintage automobiles dumped into riverbeds and left to rust over, trees growing around (and in) and torn up by local animals looking for refuge. They were hidden treasures between the cornfields. There is a sadness that such beautiful cars would end up in river ditches and buried in soil amongst central Iowa; their splendid corpses poisoning the water but making shelter for creatures who have been encroached on by farmland.

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The three racoons represent my father, my brother, and I. The red tail hawk is my mother, and the owl is my grandmother. Overall, the composition is to mimic a Toile de Jouy wallpaper to juxtapose Iowan landscapes and the grungy broken-down cars with the traditional wallpapers that are reminiscent of typical European countryside. Because I was reflecting on these fond memories and seeing through the rose-colored glass, I have incorporated a variety of nostalgic color schemes and elements relating to my family into my artwork. Overall, I created a grungy yet nostalgic energy to my piece to capture this wild memory and a beloved time in my childhood. Even though the cars no longer remain, this wallpaper will stand in their wake. It will be the perfect decoration for my parent’s cellar where they keep their gardened goods: another ode to the land and the times that have passed.