The Dog Days

96” x 60” x 2.5” diptych

Oil, acrylic, oil pastel, gouache and ink on canvas

Both canvases in a single maple float frame

The “dog days” are the hottest period of the year, named so after the heliacal rising of Sirius – the Dog Star. The painting depicts the sticky, ebullient, and sometimes desperate nature of life in the oppressive heat of days that stretch on like boiling molasses in the midsummer months, attempting to find whatever antidotes there may be to the simmering temperatures on the surface of an ever-warming planet.

Figures revel in the miracle of water - the best remedy for a hot day. They play in the stream of a busted water main and dance in a celebratory circle under the buoyant splashes of a grand park fountain. A waxen city melts under a heavy sky hung with fireworks and a blazing sun. A ghost-like statue of the Mother Mary holds a vigil near a stand of thirsty trees, representing the gamble our species so often makes by putting our fate in the hands of higher power when s**t really starts to hit the fan. Reddish tones wash throughout the composition as even shadows provide underwhelming respite. The structural elements at the top represent our fervor for containing our worlds indoors, attempting to insulate ourselves from the reality outside. The Dog Days is an illustration of summer in the age of climate change.

This painting is currently on view at Space Gallery in Denver, CO. Please direct purchase inquiries to the gallery at art@spacegallery.org or (303) 993-3321.