Artwork: Fox Dreaming.
Artist Holly Roberts creates paintings that combine elements of photography and collage to compelling effect, crafting poetic images that seems as though they are drawn from our dreams, from a deep, unconscious netherworld where nothing is quite what it seems. Yet it is so alluring, so strangely reassuring that we don’t ever want to look away.
Also: Life is But a “Dream”—Or Is It?
A selection of Roberts’s recent work is currently on view in Fox Dreaming at Open Shutter Gallery, Durango, CO, now through November 30, 2016. The exhibition highlights works featuring the people, animals, and landscapes of the Southwest that inspire her hand, eye, and mind to manifest them in her art.
Old Cowboy
On her blog, Roberts described the process of building a body of work, noting the pleasures they bring: “At this point, I have slipped into a stage that is probably very similar to what happens to a heroin addict: I only want the fun, none of boring stuff.”
In Fox Dreaming, Roberts brings her joy to the work, allowing at as a space to mediate the harsh realities of life on earth. In her artist’s statement, she reveals, “The large concerns in my life are at the core of my work: the degradation of the environment, spiritual meaning in a world of polarized and extremist religions, the stress and fear of aging, the daily fears and anxieties of being alive in the world today. My default subjects are usually awkward, somewhat threatening, and most often, a little lonely.”
Buck Being Followed
Yet it is here, in the uncomfortable space of alienation, that solace becomes our greatest gift. To be able to come to terms with Truth is a challenge many will avoid, finding distractions and disinformation infinitely more manageable. Yet, distancing does not change facts; it only make the Truth more overwhelming when it outs, as it shall.
Fox Dreaming provides a means to mediate the state of disquiet so often occurs when we deal with issues that we as individuals can not hope to fix when so many around us are like ostriches, with their heads buried in the sand. It’s a curious place to be, conscious of the problem but incapable of either identifying or executing a solution. It can create a wide array of responses that pull us way from ourselves, replacing will to live with the fear of what happens next.
Falling Sky II
Our dreams can so often become nightmares without us ever knowing how or why. But when we awake we can consider what these messages from the unconscious want us to know; we can consider the symbols and metaphors they offer, and begin looking for solutions within ourselves. Though we cannot hope to fix the problems of the world, we can save ourselves, and in doing so we can create something that speaks to all around the world.
Fox Dreaming offers the message that salvation is within our grasp, should we be so inclined to discover the passions of our mind, body, and heart. In creating these works, Roberts shares her path, providing a guiding light that speaks to our soul without ever uttering a word.
All artwork: ©Holly Roberts, courtesy of Open Shutter Gallery.
Miss Rosen is a New York-based writer, curator, and brand strategist. There is nothing she adores so much as photography and books. A small part of her wishes she had a proper library, like in the game of Clue. Then she could blaze and write soliloquies to her in and out of print loves.
