8.5 x 11 Oils on Canvas Paper
2019
The human experience is an ongoing quest for something more, a yearning for extraordinary experiences that transcend the ordinary routines of daily life. We wake each morning, armed with to-do lists and mundane tasks, yet we harbor a persistent hope that one day, we will break free from the confines of normalcy and achieve something remarkable. But what if we could find astonishment within the everyday? How can we bend time, life, and our most cherished relationships to extract the extraordinary from the ordinary? Do we have the power to shape our own destinies, or are we merely passengers on a predetermined journey?
Inspired by Virginia Woolf’s thought-provoking words, I created this artwork to explore the delicate balance between the extraordinary and the mundane. The stark contrast between the black and yellow hues represents the perpetual tension between our aspirations for something more and the reality of everyday life. The central point of the artwork draws the viewer’s eye directly to the heart of this conflict. The stark black appears as the enigmatic “something more,” while the yellows symbolize the familiar routines and obligations of daily life.
Despite the minimal palette and simple forms, the artwork conveys a sense of both softness and determination. The yellow hues gently envelop the stark black, suggesting the comforting familiarity of everyday life. Yet, the black remains resolute, hinting at the ever-present desire to break free from the mundane and embrace the extraordinary.
The artwork raises a profound question: Is the black shape breaking free from the constraints of the yellow, or is the reality of the yellow enveloping and subsuming the sharpness of life’s aspirations? The answer, perhaps, lies within the individual’s perception and the choices they make to shape their own reality.
“I have a deeply hidden and inarticulate desire for something beyond the daily life.”
― Virginia Woolf