Meeting at the Surface, 2023
Framed: 30x31cm
Fearing their power the deities above split the dragons into creatures of land, sea, air and water. Where can they meet when they no longer fly together? The dragons convene at the surface of the water. They love like the bird and fish, dancing on a meniscus but forever unable to build a home together. It is moonlight in this scene and there is something between the reuniting of friends and the assignation of lovers that remains ambiguous. The viewer can only wonder what the relationship is between these two dragons, the same mythical creature but utterly apart. One of the joys of dragons is that so many cultures feature them in folktales. Each one reflects the world it was created in, so while some dragons have wings, others remain serpentine. Exploring the contradiction within what a dragon might look like was another aspect. Initially the land and sea dragons appeared in sketches as Leviathan and Behemoth but as the sketches progressed they became softer, more playful dragons and their fierceness was replaced with tenderness.