Snacks 2020

Scott Fraser made this painting, Snacks, by arranging a still life of a frog skeleton and a row of skewered bugs, painting it using thin layers of oil paint. The time it took to create something this precise seems immense, and I can imagine him needing to focus and be in the moment, a meditative state, as he worked. I’m drawn to the smoothness and the muted tones, which give the painting a serene quality, a kind of calm before the storm. It’s tempting to think about the different ways Fraser has built up the image and used color to suggest form: the dark, reflective surface of the table, the way the light shines on the skeleton, the tiny hairs on the bugs. I think it’s the surface that really holds my attention. There’s a strong connection here to Dutch Vanitas painting from the 17th century. But, it is still open to interpretation, perhaps about the natural order or the food chain, but maybe also a comment on the artist as collector, or even the purpose of art itself.