Up, Up and Away! 

Curator: Scott Gustafson's "Up, Up and Away!" feels like a page ripped from a beloved fairytale, doesn't it? It's pure escapism, radiating this golden-age illustration vibe that warms my heart. Editor: The image indeed oozes holiday spirit, I can see its commercial appeal. Yet, if you observe closely at the watercolor, you'll appreciate how it contributes to create a polished depiction. Note also the reindeer harnessing — it's very neat! Curator: Oh, the harness! It's more about suggestion than strict realism. Gustafson captures the wonder in the details – the elf clutching a lantern, Santa’s jovial face, even the swirling snow below. I see it more as painting an emotion, a fleeting moment of pure joy. The luminosity radiating off the moon makes you want to believe, doesn't it? It's that inner child reaching out. Editor: Absolutely. But let's also talk about that moon, and the composition generally. The glow, however artificial, results from layered applications of watercolour paint and skillful highlights—a constructed light mimicking moonlight, essentially. So the “believability” we perceive depends as much on careful application and technique. Curator: True, it's constructed magic! And the fantasy landscapes... slightly saccharine, maybe, but undeniably effective. He's creating a world where reindeer fly, so we willingly suspend our disbelief. For me, the value is in that willingness, that openness. It speaks to the heart of why we need art in the first place: to dream beyond the ordinary. Editor: The material choice facilitates that dream. The softness of the watercolor allows for blurring of the details creating ethereal qualities. A less forgiving medium might've anchored the scene too firmly in reality, thus diminishing the enchanting effects. Curator: Perhaps you are right; thinking that in this very canvas lies not just a pretty picture, but a gentle permission to believe, a nod to the magic still twinkling in the world. Editor: Indeed, it seems we see different, but similarly valued properties in it, don't we? A fascinating reminder of how materials and emotional response always become linked together, each influencing the other.