Despecialized explores obsession, self-doubt, and loss through the depiction of scenes removed from the 1977 theatrical release of the film Star Wars. Seemingly unsatisfied with his success (Star Wars won seven Academy Awards in 1978), George Lucas re-edited Star Wars over a period of 35 years, creating a new version with each subsequent release of the film and eventually replacing entire scenes with new footage. Each painting in my series is based on one of these discarded scenes, embodying the complementary compulsions associated with artist and audience: as Lucas attempted to erase imperfections in his work, his fans scrambled to collect and preserve the missing minutia. My paintings render each scene at a drastic reduction in size from the original, monumental cinema projection screen. The small scale evokes the feeling that each scene is a memory that could be held in the hands like a lost pet.