UNTITLED 

Editor: This is an untitled mixed-media piece by Alice Rahon, and it immediately gives me a sense of looking at something ancient, like a landscape recovered from an archeological dig, faded but still holding secrets. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Ah, a fellow explorer! Yes, "excavation" is precisely the word that sprang to my mind. I feel the pull of a forgotten narrative. Notice the lines like primitive glyphs, the soft washes of watercolor like sediment… I feel she is whispering stories of a world both familiar and otherworldly. Does it strike you as dreamlike? Perhaps she is re-membering a feeling, and like all memories, some parts are clearer, or more vibrant, than others? What kind of a feeling, do you suppose, did she want to make more vibrant here? Editor: Dreamlike definitely works. I get the sense of a half-remembered place, and those dark shapes could be birds or… well, who knows what. What about the use of color – muted in some areas and then these pops of bright red and pink? Curator: Color… like buried treasure, or perhaps flares in the gloom of unconsciousness. Don't you find that these colours invite speculation of what could burst through the canvas next, where one can be surprised. I get that feeling she did, and does. If color bursts invite speculation, and also hope that more memories still await, waiting to be unlocked by who comes across the scene... and you and I are amongst those lucky people today, eh? Editor: That’s beautiful. So, this "excavation" has revealed more than just shapes and colors; it's hinting at an emotional landscape as well. Curator: Precisely. It feels intensely personal, wouldn't you agree? The mark making reminds me of automatic writing. Rahon might be pulling us into her interior world… Editor: I'm definitely seeing that now. Thank you for helping me dig a little deeper! Curator: And thank *you* for your keen eyes, and sharp mind. A fruitful exploration, indeed.