Top Card

Words about:

Top Card, oil on linen, 60×48 inches, 2010.

Thinking about the economic collapse, the tenuous balance of markets, and how things need to be balanced to function. The past few years have had so much market and economic turmoil. It requires so much hope, steady placement, or even maybe a bit of sneaky sleuthing to make it by without the entire system collapsing. Capitalism in question… the brick tie is the illusion of stability and strength, the house of cards representing the mortgage crises. I think this can be a capable person with everything under control, and doing a good job of it!

I think this also represents the nature of life to find the balance in all things; the light we hold onto, or in this painting maybe the light is shining on the impending collapse or the delicate balance. I sometimes hope to capture my own angst about situations in a humourous yet poignant way. I think of this in relation to my success and career as well, it is a delicate balance to make things go just so. It is my nature to see things as fragile; Seeing the transience of all things. Though I also realized through these recent years how sometimes one person’s success relies on others’ failures…. The supposed greed of Wall Street had to have repercussions, hence the slowdown: the vulnerability of success when often success built on a house of cards.