My most recent paintings are studies of disappearing America. Imagery inspired by a pre-corporate time. The ordinary, the everyday, the simple.
Small is good too. Global economies seem driven by mega, gargantuan corporations with relentless,unnecessary and continuous change. Underneath this corporate umbrella is a facade of stability and a safety net considered "It's good enough" - and - "We get by." Uncelebrated lives in towns are the 'ballast', the counter weight, to the ambition gone wild over the last forty years. Michna paints what we all know of pre-corporate, pre-conglomerate America. Her body of work lets us return to the strengths exhibited in the ordinary family, home, and small business. Making a living is 'good enough'. The people in our town are 'good enough'. An ordinary home is 'good enough'. Plain and ordinary means 'good enough'. Fancy and elaborate is not a necessary option. Michna focuses on the 'ordinary' representation of the America, the place and lifestyle we once knew. We know deep in our hearts that this basic America is good enough. There is a nobility in the concrete block of small business, the old home built by the owner, the re-use of existing structures for coin-op laundry and ice cream stands. The outdated pay phone, re-dialing with the breath and sweat of urgent human monologues racing against the coin slot of time. No free minutes here. Only a simple understanding of who we are and where we are.
