The vintage effect

Patrick Marasso paints memories you’ve never had. And this month, he has joined the roster at JayJay, along with ceramicists Mark Boguski and Kris Lyons.

Marasso’s paintings of candid vintage snapshots circa the 1970s, give or take a beehive or two, capture the flat lighting of the camera’s flash, with even the occasional finger over the lens and the dulling and yellowing of aging photo paper. These elements, in addition to the dated hairstyles and clothes of the subjects within the frame, aid in creating a nostalgic effect for these strangers, and Marasso’s tableaux of them ignite the viewer’s imagination unlike the photo alone likely would: Why did this woman sneak away into a cluttered basement at a party, and why is she playing with a hula hoop? Perhaps to revisit some of her own nostalgic past.