Mantis 2021

James Jean made this painting, Mantis, using dreamy colours and a smooth surface, like a page from a graphic novel. It is an unfolding of layered shapes. The mantis, framed in a bubble of teal and green, is rendered in hot pink, poised as if in a dance. On the right, we see a woman in tones of pink and green, her hand raised in a gesture of greeting or protection, with a face that is almost a shadow. The lack of facial detail and smooth surface of the painting gives it the feeling of a memory or dream, the imagery of which could be pulled from traditional Japanese prints. The piece reminds me a little of Yoshitomo Nara, with its mixture of pop colours and strange otherworldly subject matter. It's not fixed or definitive, but rather asks us to consider how different realities can blend together on a single plane.