Homecoming 2018

Zoe Hawk made this painting, sometime in the 20th century, and the oil paint has a smooth, creamy texture that almost looks like it was applied with a palette knife rather than a brush. The pastel colors are so dreamlike, and they make me think of fairy tales. I love the slightly off-kilter composition with those figures lined up, all in a row, with one almost falling into the lake. It reminds me of a painting, maybe Balthus, but with more humor. There's something playful, but also melancholic, about the way she’s handled the paint. Look at the reflections in the water. The artist embraces the ambiguity and multiple interpretations over fixed or definitive meanings. It's like she's inviting us to get lost in our own thoughts and associations. It's like she's inviting us to get lost in our own thoughts and associations.