The FRAGILE Project
“Fragile” is a series of figurative paintings that explore the human condition of a need for the magical and beautiful amidst the inevitable disappointment and difficulty of navigating through life. As we encounter disappointment and betrayal, how do we respond to those things, and how do we elevate our overall life experience in the face of difficulty? My paintings have an air of whimsy while pointing to deeper themes of loss and longing.
These works can be experienced on multiple levels: on first observation there is the interesting “fun” of the compositions. But considering the titles and taking a deeper look will reveal themes of isolation and instability. The paintings bring together the beautiful and the sobering; childlike wonder and the adulthood realization that things are not always as they seem. There are recurring themes of water, bubbles, isolation, and beautiful fish in magical, yet precarious scenarios.
I often draw inspiration from literary sources. For this series, Matthew Arnold's “To Marguerite Continued” was an influence. It begins:
“Yes! in the sea of life enisled,
With echoing straits between us thrown,
Dotting the shoreless watery wild,
We mortal millions live alone.”
Born out of a difficult few years of political and cultural upheaval, I offer these paintings as a message that the world, while often unpredictable and disappointing, is simultaneously full of wonder. The viewer will be reminded that difficulty can result in beauty and a dream of a better world. My goal is to start conversations and share a comforting message that our struggles are universal, although we each face them alone.
KYRIE
A magical scene: 8 orbs, for 8 planets. The 3rd is being observed as its occupant gazes back. “Kyrie” is a prayer in the Catholic mass; it translates to “Have mercy upon us.”
AND TENEMENT HALLS
A runaway girl sits against a huge mosaic of fish in the Delancey Street subway station in New York. She holds a balloon, although she really is too old for such things. Her captive fish is juxtaposed against the wildness of the artwork behind her.
We see only her eyes as a balloon acts as a mask, surrounded by beautiful Siamese Fighting Fish. The most beautiful golden fish is over her heart.
MASQUERADE
THE SHERPHERDESS
Washed up after a storm, the precious items in her keeping all still intact. This piece includes nods to CS Lewis, Hans Christian Andersen, and the legends of the Selkies from the Faroe Islands and other areas of the far north Atlantic.
VOICES CARRY
In this night scene, figures are replaced by ravens, traditionally known as shape shifters and tricksters in the indigenous cultures of the Pacific Northwest. They may also be regarded as messengers, with a warning of impending danger, or a truth that must be faced. The concept for this painting had its beginnings with a comment in a scene from the brilliantly written tv show Northern Exposure: “Words are a heavy thing. Like rocks – they weigh you down. If birds talked, they couldn’t fly.”
BUT IF YOU CLOSE YOUR EYES
A self portrait with compositional echoes of the Salvador Mundi by Da Vinci. Rain falls, the water rises. Part of the reflection in the globe makes the shape of a dove; a note of hope.