MRS. BROWN

Pasadena, California

2003

While studying commercial photography at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California and shifting toward the fine art department, Mourning began her first self-portrait series.

Using herself as the most convenient model, she embodied her 80-year-old roommate Mrs. Brown and the stories that filled their shared home. Though she didn't realize it then, this project marked Mourning's first exploration of channelling both a character and a space through her lens.

Young woman standing on indoor porch or patio, wearing a colorful floral dress, touching her face with her right hand, looking out through sliding glass door at greenery outside.
Backyard scene with a swimming pool in the foreground, a white picket fence, and a house with a porch surrounded by lush green bushes and trees with red and orange autumn foliage.
A woman wearing a black and white patterned crop top and matching skirt stands near a window, holding a slice of melon
Young woman standing outdoors by a swimming pool, wearing a beige dress with floral embroidery, sunglasses on her head, with trees and a house in the background.
Pregnant woman standing on a patio, wearing a black lace dress, smoking, with garden and outdoor furniture in the background.
A woman lying on her side on a bed in a dimly lit bedroom, resting her head on a pillow.
A woman lying on a bed in a dimly lit bedroom with a table lamp and a mirror on the wall.
A person sleeping on a floral patterned bed with a beige headboard, under warm lighting from a bedside lamp.
A woman with red hair and a red dress lies on a chaise lounge outdoors, taking a selfie with her smartphone.
A woman in a pink nightgown sitting on a stool beside a fireplace in a warmly lit living room, with family photographs and decorative items on a side table, and framed artwork on the walls.
A young woman with red hair styled back, wearing a black dress and a double pearl necklace, standing in front of a floral wallpapered mirror, looking to the side with her hand behind her head.
A pregnant woman in a colorful floral dress leaning against a kitchen counter, looking thoughtfully out a window.
Young woman with blonde hair wearing sunglasses and a cream dress decorated with embroidered floral patches standing outdoors near a swimming pool, with a house and garden in the background during daylight.
A woman in a vintage white wedding dress sits on a cushioned chair in a room with patterned wallpaper, a green carpet, and a large window with white shutters.

These self-portraits were reflective of a time in contemporary photography where “constructive narrative” shot on large format film and printed even larger was making its mark.

I was studying photography at The Art Center college of Design in Pasadena and living with a eighty six year old bad ass of a woman named Mrs. Brown. In exchange for rent, I helped Mrs. Brown around her home, walked her dog Scarfy and kept her company at cocktail hour. This home and her stories were the beginning of a long fascination with women and their psyches within domesticity.

Each facet of a woman and her role within a patriarchal society become the ever growing question. I confronted these questions with each sheet of film working as both the artist and the model hoping to embody the ever expanding subject.

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