Black Swan #4

2016

Acrylic, watercolor, and drybrush on canvas, stretched over a handmade hardwood frame

About a decade ago, I got food poisoning and, while I was stuck on the couch for the day, I watched Black Swan. I can’t tell you much about it, other than it felt like a fever dream, and I’m still not sure what is actually in the film and what I dreamed about it while coming in and out of consciousness. More than anything else, I thought it was a great statement about using all the traumatic and ugly parts of ourselves to fuel our pursuit of something pure to us. This canvas contrasts the wildness of the black wings with the starkness and meticulousness of the misshapen ballerina in an effort to illustrate that.

$300