Solve x Coagula

This ongoing series of works is an exploration of the wonders and curiosities of the natural world, looking at the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. These still lifes feature a variety of fascinating plants, bones, stones, and other natural found objects, creating something akin to a visual cabinet of curiosities.

The arrangements balance the presence of life and death, and, like traditional vanitas paintings, seek to remind the viewer of the fleeting nature of life and the purposelessness of worldly pleasures/gains. However, they also serve to remind us that all is not without hope; everything ends, but only so that it may begin again. In paint, the objects are given new purpose, and even the most dead and static are, in a way, brought back to life. Acrylic paint, too, is made up of things that were once living, and yet in the hands of any good painter, it comes alive.