36 x 36 x 24 inches dimensions variable

Custom silk top hat, paper, acrylic paint, canvas, wire, wood, sculpey, clay, glue

"Poppy," born in 1884, immigrated to the US from Romania in 1900. He was a professional inventor and a leader in the plastics industry. Upon his retirement, Poppy started his second life as a painter. He told me his hat was who everyone thought he should be and who he costumed as, but the painter was who he was. That impacted me.

In this context, my grandfather's top hat in its original box contains his painting studio: his world, his object, but my interpretation of how he affected me. Referring to a specific painting of Poppy's I inherited, fruits and books are arranged in a still-life, and a tiny painting replica sits on an easel under a powered clamp light. A miniature top hat sits on the floor under a box of paint tubes. Installed beside the sculpture is the original painting.