Oh the Act!, 2025
Watercolor on canvas
12” x 16”
Watercolor on canvas
12” x 16”
When the spotlight shines on you
Surrounded by clouds of blue and pink
Hurry now or you'll miss your queue
Shhhhh! Make haste it will be over in a blink!
Picture it, Shadow Ridge Middle School, 2016. The lights on the audience dim and the pre-recorded orchestra fills the cafetorium. Behind a large wooden board, I sat (along with Thing 1 and Thing 2), waiting. My face was painted white with black whiskers and a nose drawn on and in my sweaty palm I clutched a microphone. The taste of Swedish Fish still lingered on my tongue - our teacher had said the candy would eat away all the butterflies in our stomachs. Twenty minutes earlier, the cast and I had sat in a circle, each of us sharing what we appreciated most about this experience, and I just remember feeling filled to the brim with happiness. Emerging from behind the board, I wasn't just singing lyrics, I was celebrating life.
It's memories like these that serve as the key to fantastical reality, and in this painting I wanted to celebrate a moment in my life that I felt seen. The red and white represent the hat I wore as part of my costume, while the Ionic (pink) and Doric (blue) columns represent my identity - both masculine and feminine. Historically, columns are used to adorn places of importance to be honored, and when we honor our past, we celebrate our future.
Can you recall a moment from your childhood when you were overcome with happiness?
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