Still Life Journeys series
Nature Morte presents a patterned Atlantic cod laid out on a vibrant, flowered tablecloth, its carefully observed form and rich coloration creating a striking presence. Despite its title, the painting is lively, bringing together the physical reality of the gutted fish and the beauty of its surroundings. The artwork explores the uneasy relationship between beauty, violence, and the transformation of living things into food. An Atlantic cod, carefully observed and richly patterned, lies gutted yet vividly present on a flowered tablecloth. Its display evokes both the traditions of still life and the physical reality of sustenance. Behind it, Winslow Homer’s Right and Left, depicting falling birds, introduces a more somber meditation on hunting and mortality. The contrast between Homer’s scene and the painting’s decorative vitality raises questions about how we frame, appreciate, and consume the natural world. A small seagull sculpture and fragments of Maine maps locate the work within the artist’s relationship to her home state. Floral silhouettes, repeated in the upper and lower borders, unify the composition, bringing the language of ornament into conversation with the realities of life and death.