Lucky Golden Fur, 2022

oil on panel
8”x 8” (21cm x 21cm)

Lucky Golden Fur has a lovely luxurious color palette: a field of warm yellow surrounds a light chocolate-brown teddy bear face and a complementary purple bow, which nestles into the golden yellow brushstrokes around it and visually helps turn them from abstract marks to a gestural depiction of fur. 

One of my favorite aspects of oil paint is its ability to create the illusion of a color that is greater than just the pigment it consists of. In the case of Lucky Golden Fur I aimed to evoke a golden glow, a pictorial space that radiates warm festivity. 

The title of the piece was inspired in part by my fiancée Tara’s native Thai culture which has a prevalent association of gold with prosperity and fortune... Lucky Golden Fur is thus a little good luck charm, playfully smiling at the viewer and extending its joy to us all.