The Staff 

Curator: The title of this artwork is *The Staff* by Jeff Jamison. Painted with oils, this piece has an incredibly expressive take on interior figuration. I get the sense of place, but at the same time, the details blur and fade like memory. Editor: You know, my first reaction is that I feel like I'm peering into a dream. Everything seems softened, filtered through a rosy lens, perhaps hinting at the rose-tinted glasses we use to view idealized labor practices. Curator: Oh, I like that, framing it as labor. To me, the scene oozes this wonderful feeling of a bustling restaurant or bar. The staff, as in servers and bartenders, move throughout. Editor: It makes me think about the socio-economic structure in the hospitality business. Look at how those serving remain figures in the background. We don't get a true sense of their personalities, rather their positions within the infrastructure. It’s the architecture and coded geometries that dominate the scene. Curator: Yes, but for all the talk of that, don’t you think the charm in Jamison’s technique is how the light creates the details? The painting really shimmers, using light as an inviting guide for viewers. Like when you're drawn to the glow of a warm bar, it really has that quality. Editor: Right. What I read as a ‘softened’ experience could be the light. Yet, while warm and inviting, it is almost blinding, washing the potential exploitation behind the smile that good service relies on. Curator: Yes, absolutely. This light makes everything inviting! This particular artist uses a more personal touch and his creative expression through painting creates more nuanced commentary on society. Editor: A warm point of access, even though that glow might obscure some problematic histories of, say, service work or social interaction in such spaces. All in all, this piece brings up interesting things to chew on.