Pluck is a fantasy painting inspired by early childhood memories. Standing half naked in a summer garden, wearing a ceremonial headdress, a tot balances uneasily, clutching a flower in one hand and a feather in the other. A chicken struts past, awkwardly referencing the child’s head adornment and the snatched plume.

As with much of my work, the painting harmonizes a disparity of thoughts, emotions, humor, nostalgia, culture, belonging, order and individuality. In “Pluck” an adherence to tradition rubs up against abstraction. Rules are obeyed and broken, styles blended and contrasted, challenges bloom with a wink and noses are twisted. We see toddler hands gripping beauty and flight but are aware that neither belongs to to the child. They are plucked, stolen; naughty grabs for joy and freedom.