When The Campers Are Away 

Lucia Heffernan created this satirical painting, "When The Campers Are Away," with oils on canvas. This reflects a tradition going back centuries, where artists have painstakingly built up images using thin layers of pigmented oil. The smooth surface of the canvas allows for a high degree of illusionism. But what makes this painting resonate today is its subject: a wild animal, cheekily enjoying the fruits of human leisure. The marmot, with its Aperol spritz and iPhone, invites us to consider the blurring lines between the natural and the manufactured. Of course, oil paint itself has a long relationship with capitalism. From the pigments to the canvas, every element is commodified. Heffernan plays with this history, offering a humorous commentary on our contemporary moment. The painting encourages a broader conversation about the role of material culture in shaping our understanding of nature, and the labor of producing images.