American Still Life Series
Drawing from the visual traditions of Dutch Still Life painting from the 16th and 17th centuries, Peoples examines how images function as sites of projection. While presenting themselves as acutely detailed observations of reality, the flowers, fruits, and hunting trophies in Dutch paintings were often painted from scientific illustrations or studies of living specimens. Sub-genres include banquet and breakfast arrangements, floral arrangements, hunting and game pieces, and kitchen or market settings, all demonstrating the abundance and wealth belonging to the Dutch merchant class and aristocrats. Often objects like Chinese porcelain, citrus, spices and shells gestured towards the nation's power and global reach of the time.
Dutch Still Life paintings were deeply embedded with romantic ideals and belief systems. Alongside the celebrations of riches and decadence, the works featured symbolic moral and religious reminders for the burgeoning, largely Protestant middle class. In fact, nearly all Dutch Still Life paintings warn against vanity, greed, and overindulgence and act as reminders of mortality and the fleeting nature of earthly riches. Bread and wine alluded to Christian communion. Oysters symbolized indulgence and lust. Hourglasses, soap bubbles, and skulls signaled the passage of time, the fragility of life, and the inevitability of death. Like the signals from a bird's specula—that communicates flirtation, familiarity, or flight to the flock—these paintings operated as signals of wealth, class, and virtue.
Peoples' sculpted still life works take on these same tasks, simultaneously signaling power and wealth alongside signs of imminent decline. Her American Still Life series employs found objects such as vintage porcelain plates and handmade and altered faux fruits, styrofoam, plaster, silicone, and paint to construct persuasive arrangements of sculpted foods. Hanging on the wall, each work is split into two related halves. One half of the arrangement strives for perfection, while the other half depicts a decayed version of the same scene.
Dutch Still Life paintings were deeply embedded with romantic ideals and belief systems. Alongside the celebrations of riches and decadence, the works featured symbolic moral and religious reminders for the burgeoning, largely Protestant middle class. In fact, nearly all Dutch Still Life paintings warn against vanity, greed, and overindulgence and act as reminders of mortality and the fleeting nature of earthly riches. Bread and wine alluded to Christian communion. Oysters symbolized indulgence and lust. Hourglasses, soap bubbles, and skulls signaled the passage of time, the fragility of life, and the inevitability of death. Like the signals from a bird's specula—that communicates flirtation, familiarity, or flight to the flock—these paintings operated as signals of wealth, class, and virtue.
Peoples' sculpted still life works take on these same tasks, simultaneously signaling power and wealth alongside signs of imminent decline. Her American Still Life series employs found objects such as vintage porcelain plates and handmade and altered faux fruits, styrofoam, plaster, silicone, and paint to construct persuasive arrangements of sculpted foods. Hanging on the wall, each work is split into two related halves. One half of the arrangement strives for perfection, while the other half depicts a decayed version of the same scene.
Star-spangled Still Life with Swans
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Star-spangled Still Life with Swans, 2024, Vintage found objects, styrofoam, plaster, resin, paint, ash and bone, epoxy clay, 35 x 24 x 22 inches Star spangled Still Life with Swans draws from the rich symbolism and moralistic traditions of 16th and 17th century Dutch Still Life painting, reimagining those classical elements through a contemporary American lens. Two vintage, blow-molded plastic swans support a mirrored cornucopia of symbolic objects. The stark white swans sit atop a black curtain, throwing the colorful, chaotic assemblage into sharp relief. The sculptural compositions are divided into two distinct halves. The lower half depicts decay and mortality — rotten fruit, soiled flags, wilted flowers, partially consumed candles — while the upper portion presents an idealized, rose-tinted perfection. This deliberate split creates a cinematic effect, guiding the viewer's eye through a meditation on transience and the illusory nature of material pursuit. Objects like red Solo cups appear alongside traditional vanitas symbols, setting contemporary consumer culture in dialogue with the long history of still life as moral instruction. Together, these elements — the elegance of swans, the symbolic weight of Dutch still life convention, the kitsch of modern Americana — compose a layered commentary on what endures, what rots, and what we choose to display. |
American Still Life with buttered toast, apricot, white sand, rainbow and rock
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American Still Life with buttered toast, apricot, white sand, rainbow and rock, 2025, Plaster, ash & bone, epoxy clay, paint, resin, sand, vintage found objects, 16” x 9.75” x 3.5”
Beneath the sculptures, a vinyl photograph corresponds to the arrangement. The image is manipulated through duplication or inversion, establishing the same symmetry as the food above. Where the original Dutch Vanitas signaled virtue, these works signal wealth, capitalism, and overconsumption. The American associations with prosperity and divine purpose are now clearly past their prime. What destiny has this manifested? 
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Still Life with Flamingoes and Bycatch
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Still Life with Flamingoes and Bycatch, 2026, Ceramic, epoxy clay, styrofoam, plaster, found objects, 41 x 17 x 9 inches
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The American dream; Still life with poison oak, colostrum, morphine, wine and asbestos on a pewter platter
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The American dream; Still life with poison oak, colostrum, morphine, wine and asbestos on a pewter platter, 2025, Found objects, styrofoam, plaster, epoxy clay, resin, watercolor paper, cotton batting, 12 x 9.75 x 2 inches
Federalist Corn Smut
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Federalist Corn Smut, 2026, Reproduction federalist mirror, ceramic and paint, 28 x 24 x 6 inches
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American Still Life with moss, cheese, water, ice and cotton candy
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American Still Life with moss, cheese, water, ice and cotton candy, 2025, plaster, epoxy clay, resin, paint, silicone, styrofoam, found objects, 21” x 14.5” x 5”
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Installation images of American Still Life with moss, cheese, water, ice and cotton candy, 2025, plaster, epoxy clay, resin, paint, silicone, styrofoam, found objects, vinyl wall decal featuring “dead mall” digital imagery, 24” x 24” x 5”
for “Equinox: At the End and in the Middle” a sincere, thoughtful and a desperately relevant exhibition curated by Morgan Hobbs at the Eckert Art Gallery at Millersville University Exhibition Dates: September 4 - November 14, 2025 Eckert Art Gallery Winter Visual & Performing Arts Center Millersville University 60 West Cottage Avenue Millersville, PA 17551 USA |
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American Still Life with hot cross bun, fig, walnut, ivy, crude oil and petroleum
American Still Life with hot cross bun, fig, walnut, ivy, crude oil and petroleum, 2025, Vintage found objects, styrofoam, plaster, silicone, paint, 12” x 7” x 5.25”
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Installation images of American Still Life with hot cross bun, fig, walnut, ivy, crude oil and petroleum, 2025, Vintage found objects, styrofoam, plaster, silicone, paint, vinyl wall decal featuring “dead mall” digital imagery, 24” x 24” x 5.25”
for “Equinox: At the End and in the Middle” a sincere, thoughtful and a desperately relevant exhibition curated by Morgan Hobbs at the Eckert Art Gallery at Millersville University Exhibition Dates: September 4 - November 14, 2025 Eckert Art Gallery Winter Visual & Performing Arts Center Millersville University 60 West Cottage Avenue Millersville, PA 17551 USA |