Wake Up To Dream 2009

Dave Macdowell made ‘Wake Up To Dream’ in the twentieth century using paint, the colours are vibrant and richly saturated, each element carefully considered and precisely placed. I like how it invites us into a realm of dreamlike fantasy. There’s a real tension between the precision of the execution and the surreality of the subject matter; the wasp playing the organ, the octopus skirt, these aren't things you expect to see hanging out together. But somehow it works. The surface is smooth, almost seamless, the colours blending into one another like silk. It's as if the artist is trying to create a window into another world, a world where anything is possible. The figure looks like a doll, with that white face and red tears, a kind of sinister pierrot. I think of artists like Mark Ryden, who create these meticulously rendered, slightly disturbing images. Ultimately, art is about pushing boundaries, inviting us to question our perceptions of reality, and opening our minds to new possibilities. It embraces ambiguity and multiple interpretations, and I love that about this piece, too.