18 July 2025
Rosie (after Joe Brainard): in memory of Rosie through the lens of Brainard's Untitled (Whippoorwill) (1973-74), a portrait of Kenward Elmslie's whippet (one of a handful he did of the dog. All are lovely). There are the paintings we make to share, and there are the paintings we make for ourselves first and foremost. This one belongs to the latter category, though I'm not ruling out the former necessarily. It's just the first time in a while that I've honored a realist impulse, which felt appropriate for this tribute and is why I chose Brainard as a starting point. I never knew him personally, but the way he sees animals in his work intuitively feels similar to my relationship with them—as pure as a thing can be and something that should stand on its unembellished own. I miss Rosie.