Hearts Desire 2017

Camilla d’Errico made this painting, Hearts Desire, with a surreal, figurative style and a melancholic mood. Imagine the artist coaxing the colours to create this dreamlike scene. The hair is spun like candy floss, pink and delicate and then there is the bird, perched amidst white roses. What a strange place to make a nest. The falling rose petals are suspended in mid-air, creating a sense of stillness and suspension. I love the tension between the flat surface of the painting and the illusion of depth created by the shading and the layering of elements. It's kind of heartbreaking. I think d'Errico's work resonates with a lot of artists who explore similar themes of innocence, fragility, and the beauty of the natural world. It reminds me how artists are always in dialogue with one another across time. Each painting is an invitation to dream. It is in this dream that meanings are made.