Wendy My Darling 

Editor: Here we have Dave Macdowell’s mixed-media painting, "Wendy My Darling." It gives me a dark, surreal feeling. What stands out to you, in your reading of the piece? Curator: What grips me first is the dance between clarity and obfuscation. Macdowell layers recognizable imagery – is that Jack Nicholson’s haunted visage from "The Shining?" - to evoke not just a portrait, but a psychological state. See how Wendy is almost spectral within his face? It is like he’s devouring her. Or is he protecting her? Is this perhaps less of a portrait, and more of a visual power dynamic? What do you feel? Editor: I think she seems terrified, a trapped-in-amber quality, especially with his intense gaze bearing down. Curator: Exactly! It’s the kind of gaze that freezes you. He imprisons with those baby blues. It’s as if the famous zigzag carpet pattern from the Overlook Hotel has infiltrated their very beings, trapping them both. You know what occurs to me? That maybe domestic horror is scarier than supernatural spooks! Editor: I didn't initially make that connection, but seeing the carpet design overlaying everything is unnerving. It suggests nowhere is safe, which, yes, can be terrifying. Curator: Macdowell offers such an intriguing invitation to see familiar horror in a fresh, immediate way. Like peering through a peephole into someone’s nightmare! Editor: Thanks, that's given me a completely different perspective on it. Curator: Absolutely, art should challenge, invite speculation and give chills too, eh?