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At first glance, this piece is playful, but there’s a lot more happening beneath the surface. The title, A Bird In The Hand, nods to the familiar saying while also winking at the less subtle nickname for a rooster. I enjoy hiding those little moments of humor in my work, especially when they can exist alongside something more emotional.
The red left hand, wearing a wedding ring, became a way to think about love in all its forms. Passion, desire, commitment, anger, and the emotional scars we carry all seem to live in the same place. Sometimes the things that bring us the most joy are also the things that leave the deepest marks.
I also wanted to push the figure further into abstraction through exaggerated proportions, bold colors, layered patterns, and expressive mark making. Some of those decisions were simply fun to make, while others were carefully considered. That’s one of my favorite parts of painting. It gives me permission to play while still saying something honest