Aqua Culture 2016

Zoe Hawk painted *Aqua Culture* sometime in the 20th century, likely using oils or acrylics. I imagine her carefully layering thin washes of paint to create this dreamlike image. It’s as if we are looking into an aquarium, or maybe even into the artist’s own imagination. The yellow of the mermaid seems to glow against the cool blues of the water. Hawk probably had to work hard at those edges, between light and shadow, to make that water believable. She lets her figures take center stage, as if their quiet contemplation is a performance. Making a picture like this requires a very personal and particular kind of looking. I am always in awe of artists who have the patience and vision to bring their dreams to life on canvas. Like them, we swim in an ocean of images.