Mixed media collage on canvas
18" x 24"
Frame
This piece sits quietly within the Tenants series, drawing attention to the unseen emotional landscapes of those who live around us. Neighbours behind thin walls, faces in passing, souls we register but rarely know. It centres on Doris, a reserved tenant in apartment #7, who occupies a space between visibility and obscurity. She is not remarkable by conventional measures, yet she is far from invisible. Her stillness holds weight; her quietness holds unspoken stories.
This work reflects on the emotional common ground we share, no matter how different our lives appear. She stands in for the countless individuals whose inner worlds remain closed to us, full of private histories, longings, heartbreaks, small joys, and everyday rituals. In looking at her, we are reminded how easily we reduce others to what little we see, and how much richness is lost in that simplification. We all know a Doris. And to someone else, we are Doris.