Margo
Selski
Humpty Dumpty II
oil and beeswax on canvas, 30 x 40" |
I work in primarily oil paint and beeswax on large canvases.
I wish to create an initial sense of stability by echoing
qualities found in northern Flemish masterpieces; I use aged
tints, surface cracks, and the static three-quarter poses
typical of the period. I paint imaginary characters rendered
in intricate detail frozen in midgesture within airless spaces.
By using sumptuous fabrics, laced ruffled collars, black and
white checked floors as well as surface treatment, I attempt
to further accentuate an illusion of history, balance, and
permanence.
On initial viewing, my work reads as placidly narrative storytelling.
Seemingly simple allegories, my work reveals itself over time.
By using a safe and familiar composition, my goal is to lull
the viewer into a false sense of comfort and familiarity,
where they are drawn to images which, upon further viewing,
become curious, uncomfortable, and perhaps even dangerous.
By juxtaposing images from myth and reality, I fulfill my
own personal desire to explore the mysterious.
Siren Child
oil and beeswax on wood, 9 x 12" |
Thematically in my work, I address motherhood, familial love,
permanence, impermanence, and the fragility of childhood and
life. I hope to communicate an underlying desire for safety
and stability in a threatening world.
I offer to you my imagination, a bastion of myths and metaphors
made up of my idiosyncrasies, fears, and desires, both subtle
and sublime, and not so sublime.
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