The Table

Author/Artist Name

Abigayle CothranFollow

Files

Academic Level at Time of Creation

Senior

Date of Creation

Fall 11-15-2024

Artist Statement

After my mother passed away last year, I found myself drawn to old family photos. I became fascinated by how things had changed over time. With everything in my own life changing so much, I began searching for something that had stayed the same, something that could connect me to her. As I looked through the photos, I saw changes everywhere—people, homes, cities—but then I began to notice a dining room table. It appeared in many of the pictures, always in a different room, but often with one or both of my parents sitting at it, and new family members appearing over the years. As a child I learned to paint at that table in the basement of my childhood home, and now the same table sits in my dining room here in Murray, decades later. This table has been a constant symbol of connection in our lives for nearly 5 decades. An old table wouldn’t have seemed special to me before, but now it brings me comfort and peace, a small but meaningful link to the past.

I focus on capturing the details and accuracy of each moment I paint, paying close attention to the subtle nuances that define the scene. My large paintings revolve around candid family moments shared around the table over the years. Each painting reflects a meaningful memory, making the time spent carefully studying and recreating every detail essential. In these oil paintings, I use vibrant colors and subtle shifts in tone to create a scene that feels naturalistic. Like Jeremy Lipking, my work uses refined levels of detail while leaving other areas vague and painterly. I also create small oil paintings that focus on studies of the table, capturing detailed, zoomed-in views of the table and chairs. While each painting is an accurate depiction of the subject, they are approached with an abstract style. The compositions emphasize texture, light, color, and form over strict realism. The textures, especially those of the wood, are inspired by Josephine Halvorson’s ability to capture the nuances of surfaces. The result is a blend of observation and interpretation, where the familiar shapes of the table and chairs invite the viewer to see the everyday in a more abstracted way.

This series of paintings maps the transformation of my family and our environments across 4 decades from the steadfast perspective of a dining room table. My work is inspired by my mother, but is also about my dad and the family they made, starting in 1990 all the way through 2024. Through this series, I encourage my audience to consider the constant symbols of connection within their own lives and to reflect on the objects or places that have quietly witnessed their stories. By focusing on a single, enduring object, I highlight how even the simplest items can carry immense personal meaning, bridging generations and preserving shared memories.

Advisor/Mentor

Rebecca Williams, Jessica Fife, Nicole Hand-Bryant, T. Michael Martin

Description

This exhibition is a collection of oil paintings that centers around a family and a dining room table. My work explores the evolution of families and their environments over time, using the table as a constant symbol of connection. Inspired by old photographs and my mother, these paintings capture candid moments. As the years pass, viewers will see a growing and changing family, all connected through a dining room table.

The show is about my mom, but is also about my dad and the family they made. The series begins with 1990, depicting my dad as a young teenager, and closes with Dad, 2024, showing him as a grown man with grown children.

Photo Credit

Photo credit, Abigayle Cothran, 2024

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation

Cothran, Abigayle, "The Table" (2024). B.F.A. Practicum Exhibition (ART 498). 140.
https://digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/art498/140