Queen Sakana 2018

Camilla d’Errico painted Queen Sakana sometime in the 20th century, probably with acrylics or maybe oils. I can imagine d’Errico carefully laying down those stripes, one after another. Think of how long that must have taken, to get the balance between the colors and the patterns in the “water” just right. The pinks and greens create a sense of otherworldly calm. Then comes the figure, and then the fish perched on top of their head, dripping with color. That fish is a crown. What a funny and melancholic painting! Like a weird dream of girlhood. I can imagine her delighting in creating this image, one of many variations on her signature themes. It reminds me of other painters who explore similar territory, like Marion Peck, but d’Errico’s got her own thing going on. These artists are all in conversation with each other, and with us, about what it means to be a girl, a woman, a queen, a fish, and a painting.