I don’t think about my face because i live behind it’ was painted as part of a series of works called ‘The How and Why Library’. This series of paintings was created from appropriations of images found in Childcraft books of the 60’s, 70’s and early 80’s. Childcraft was created as an encyclopedia, of sorts, for young children. With simple texts and illustrations, the volumes were designed to make learning amusing and engaging. Each volume addressed different subjects, including literature, mathematics and the sciences.
This series began with the move, and loss, of McCaughey’s childhood home. This finality inevitably led to cataloging preserving belongings, and filing the associated memories. The Childcraft books, a once steadfast presence on the living room bookcase, were unearthed once more. McCaughey recalls spending hours soaking in the pages filled with images and diagrams. Returning to these books years later, the clarity and freshness of the images in her mind led McCaughey to consider the printed image, it’s ability to encapsulate the past, allow the viewer to visit it, in the present. This particular painting was sourced from a paragraph explaining to children the idea of how we see ourselves differently from how others see us.
See more of Eleanor’s paintings here