Yellow Butterfly 2008

This is "Yellow Butterfly" by Mary Fedden, painted sometime around 2008, and it's like a little poem made of shapes and colors. I can almost feel Mary gently laying down those opaque washes of paint. It's so considered, yet playful. The still life comes together with a dark, almost gothic palette – those bruised purple flowers against the intense black of the tray really make me stop and look. I wonder what it was like for her, arranging and observing these intimate objects – a single butterfly, a lemon, figs, and flowers. What was she thinking? That jug – it’s got these delicate swirls and patterns painted on, like she was having a conversation with the object itself. Fedden is one of those artists who reminds us that painting isn't just about representation, it’s about feeling, thinking and responding to the world. We all want to be part of that conversation, right?