Dick & Jane

K E L L Y F L Y N N

PHOTOGRAPHY

ARTIST STATEMENT

Dick & Jane 2004

The inspiration for this work is based on the “Dick and Jane” books, which recently came back into popularity. The books displayed simple, repetitive sentences, colorful illustrations, and a secure, unhurried sense of childhood. Some characterize “Dick and Jane” books, as a staple of American education from the 1930’s through the 1960’s mostly touching the baby boomer generation. This series portrays the literal meaning of the character’s names with a deeper, more adult sense of sexuality and power with a pop influence. The “Dick & Jane” project mocks the heterosexual relationship from a lesbian

sensibility and humor. It is now about the female who carries the “Dick” and holds the

symbol of power. It is a “We-Can-Do-It-Too” attitude of a modern day Rosie The Riveter. I chose the pink and blue to represent each stereotypical gender color and roles they play in a relationship. The images were taken with a digital camera using a black background. The photographs were manipulated in Photoshop by adjusting the hue, saturation, masks and creating a true black. The work will be displayed in a grid pattern on the wall with the two large images in the center: “Dick” on the left and “Jane” on the right. Then on either side, it will have

five rows of multiple repeated images of other various poses.