6 × 6 inches

Oil and gold leaf on metallic primed canvas

Unframed

“My approach to ‘Curiosity’, like much of my fine art work, is rooted in play and experimentation. It started with a surface that I had never used before- a metallic primed canvas – and so I knew was going to play with surface texture and reflection in some interesting ways. I loved the way it looked paired with my blue oil paints but it wasn’t until I landed on adding the pink chrysanthemum as a 3rd color that things really started to gel. Working with anything metallic is a fun challenge because not only must I consider the “color” of the gold as a part of my palette, but also the way light will hit the entire piece and change how it appears in different settings. Once I got the main painting in, I realized it was missing something and decided to add some real gold leaf as an extra detail and I absolutely loved the way the gold leaf played against the gold canvas. This is a mixture I’m now very excited to expand on.

Snakes in particular as a symbol have fascinated me my whole life. They represent knowledge and growth through trial and paired with the Chrysanthemum- which is considered a very positive and optimistic “rebirth” flower – tells a story of happy discovery which accompanies the exploration of my medium in a perfect synchronicity.”