When I moved to Flint, MI, in the early nineties, the numerous neighborhoods with small single family homes struck me as an indication of an egalitarian community where the existence of a strong union provided enough income for the workers to own their own homes. But at this time, Michael Moore’s film Roger and Me, about the devastating loss of jobs in the auto industry, had just come out. For many in Flint, the American Dream of economic security faded from view.

On a trip to New York City, a friend and I contemplated the huge paintings of Julian Schnabel at Pace Gallery. She asked me whether one of those paintings might be the size of my small house in Flint. This question inspired me to make four 10 x 12-foot paintings of the outline of my 20 x 24-foot house. Outlines of the position of the furniture and appliances appear against a background of sky.