Impudent Encounter 1979

Kit Williams made this painting called "Impudent Encounter" and it's a real trip. Look closely at the duck; it’s like, what’s going on here? The painting feels like it's happening in slow motion, this kind of surreal meeting between a human, fish, and duck in this very specific moment. I’m thinking about how it feels to be the painter making this – all the trial and error involved in getting the duck’s feathers just right, or the expression on the face of the person falling into the water. Williams really commits to the details, and the frame itself is part of the artwork. It is a kind of personal mythology! You can almost feel his hand moving deliberately, trying to capture something slippery and dreamlike. It's like he's inviting us into his own private world, a place where the rules of reality are bent and imagination reigns supreme.