Under the Roof 2001

Curator: Ellen Driscoll's watercolor, "Under the Roof," presents an intriguing tableau in muted blues and creams. It feels almost like looking up through water into a stormy sky. Editor: The density of pigment speaks to me first. The layering of washes, the handmade paper—these are the materials Driscoll is in conversation with. Note the visible process, a true labor of mark-making. Curator: Yes, and I see something deeper here. The sparseness of the forms evokes a sense of vulnerability, of shelter sought but perhaps not fully found. The roof becomes a symbol of protection. Editor: I disagree slightly. The materiality suggests a critique of the domestic sphere. It's not just shelter but perhaps entrapment. It’s a negotiation between the architectural and organic, the domestic and the wild. Curator: I see your point. The ambiguity is certainly there. It keeps drawing me back. Editor: Absolutely. It's a dialogue between intention and accident, confinement and open space. A potent combination. Curator: Food for thought. Editor: Indeed.