Joanne Amantea “Moving On”, acrylic, pencil, vintage real estate ads on canvas, 20” x 16”, 2017,

My work takes a critical view on the ever – changing concept of the American Dream, the ideals of hard work and advancement through achievement can lead to a better life. Engaging in issues such as the stock market’s boom/bust of the late 90’s or the 2008 real estate crunch, my work takes familiar visual signs from various forms of literary media and found objects, arranging them into new conceptually layered artwork.
In making paintings, I make use of a variety of water-based mixed media and methods. Although there may not always be material similarities between each painting, they are linked by recurring formal concern as well as subject matter. Often, I incorporate collage as a visual element and employ a variety of subtractive techniques which act as a way of drawing with the collaged material and paint. This gives the imaged collage new meaning to the words or image.