At World’s End 2019

Daria Theodora painted this image, At World’s End, with watercolors sometime in the 20th century. It looks like the young woman is gently cradling a bunny. She’s got all these strange birds, or are they feathers, swirling around her. I wonder if they are her thoughts or dreams. Look at how Theodora has built up her image: thin washes that let the white of the paper glow through, drawing in the negative space. I can imagine her in the studio, perhaps in a world of her own, layering one stroke on top of another. She probably had to wait for each layer to dry before adding another, building up this world bit by bit. Theodore creates a dreamlike space, something that seems to come from inside, somewhere between fairy-tale illustration and surrealist dream. She reminds us of the conversations artists have across time, inspiring each other to create something new and surprising. It leaves space for us to imagine what else could be.