CECILIA'S WREN

CECILIA'S WREN oil on canvas 20 x 24” commission

Cecilia lives in a straw bale house in Arizona, way out in the desert. When she looks out her bathroom window, she sees a big patch of cholla cactus covered in spines and fruit or flowers, depending on the season. Often it sports added charm in the form of a cactus wren. These speckled birds have figured out how to navigate some of the meanest, most aggressive cactus spines there are, and to nest and feed and rear their young amongst them. Talk about making lemonade out of a potential lemon; they represent a kind of existential optimism that I admire, and so does Cecilia. She wanted to look at her wall and be reminded of that every day, and so this painting was born.

I love being able to make a small dream come true like that. Thank you for trusting me with your vision, Cecilia, and for the challenge that was this painting! And I mean that--those spines are not only a tactile challenge, but possibly the most complex visual I've ever executed. And that's saying something!

Merry cholla one and all. Keep on keeping on, no matter what your personal spine factor may be...