Dusting off for a new year

Got my crisp new December/January edition of New American paintings the other day. I sometimes disregard the artist write-ups and focus solely on the images but I found myself very intrigued by Allison Cortson's work. I enjoy painting in deep colours mixed with a sepia tone so I was drawn to hers immediately. These colours remind me of gritty urban scenes but she has used them in a domestic setting. I wanted to know why she created this contrast and discovered that the sepia tones were actually dust. She takes photographs of people in their homes and spends months collecting the dust from underneath their furntiture, in their vacuums, and other hidden places where those dust bunnies collect. She uses the different shades of dust to capture each persons surroundings while making the subject stand out with deep oil colours. Most dust is composed of skin particles so each painting has a certain tone depending on the person. Yet again another unique idea using unconventional materials.