Liz Maugins
printmaking

The images are plucked from 1950s children’s books and rearranged in a new sampler of meandering interpretations. The ‘50s personify the ultimate era of perfection and idealism in their illustrations and renderings. It is easy to skew and contrast these images to today’s youthful archetypes: The Jon Benets and the Britany Spears.

I feel the awkwardness in some of the thorny issues that are percolating in this work. I’m nervous about the viewer’s reactions, where upon crossing a line can be misconstrued as disrespectful and beyond bad taste. Sweat starts to collect on the back of my neck while I sweep through these slippery and alluring topics. Am I being too promiscuous, too devious with these youthful figures?

You grip tightly to your little ones after hearing about the Elizabeth Smarts out there. Children are getting younger and younger when the "Don’t talk to strangers" lecture is initiated. These works are precautionary and suspended in an anticipatory limbo. Slowly, the images fumble from their innocent perches, scrape up their knees and find themselves in a susceptible position.

Liz Maugins was born in Lakewood, Ohio. She received her B.F.A in printmaking from Kent State University in 1989 and her M.F.A. from Cranbrook Academy of Art. She is co-founder and artistic director of Zygote Press, a fine-art print studio and exhibit space located in the St. Clair-Superior neighborhood, and she teaches drawing at KSU. Her work has been exhibited at SPACES, The William Busta Gallery, and The Beck Center (among others). She lives in Olmsted Township with her husband, John Bando, and her two children, Olivia and J.B.

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