2025
Tempera paint mixed with water on linen
15' x 6'
For years I have dreamed about making a painting through dance. I used to be a ballet dancer when I was in preschool and elementary school, but I was never all that good at it. I just kinda watched the girl in front of me and copied whatever she did, and there was a lot of stress attached to ballet that as a 5-year-old old I didn't appreciate. But I have always left the door to dance open, because I really enjoyed parts of it, so when the opportunity arose, I was quick to take it.
Of course, there is more to this piece than just the motivation for its creation. It was also a lengthy research project, as I experimented with the art of color field painting à la Helen Frankenthaler and the different methods of her "soak stain" technique that were possible. This was a high-stakes endeavor as there could only be one take per color, and unfortunately my weeks of research did not pay off because the fabric was different than what I was experimenting on. It just turned into me, a bucket, and a dream.
Linked below is the full 25 minutes of me dancing my heart out in my backyard to 6 different songs, all correlated to a different color of the rainbow, and as a bonus, the last 2 minutes are my wonderful friend Cayman spraying me down with the coldest hose water possible. Additionally, there is an unedited photo that helps you visualize how massive this canvas was as it hangs over the walkway of my college.