Trampoline No.2 2020

Zoe Hawk's painting "Trampoline No. 2" captures a figure in mid-air, painted with what looks like thin layers of oil. I can imagine her building up the surface to show a fleeting moment, with all the attendant concerns of gravity and lightness. Hawk probably stood back, squinting, thinking about how to make that dress glow with sunny yellow. I bet she was considering other paintings while making this one – maybe Fairfield Porter, maybe Lois Dodd? Her brushstrokes feel deliberate yet loose, capturing the energy of a child in motion. The gray trampoline is a soft, muted color, throwing the figure in the yellow dress into high relief. A painting is made of choices, and those choices are often in conversation with other choices from the past. Ultimately, Hawk offers us an intimate glimpse into both girlhood and the artistic process of making a painting, both of which can be joyous, awkward, and full of infinite possibility.