Soar, 2023

Mixed media on canvas

Soft lilacs, blues and navy come together in a pastel background, engulfed by a golden trailblazer. A small, lone heart sits in a darkened corner, with sub hues of neon pinks.

An acrylic based artwork with spray paint. Glass beads, coarse pumice, moulding paste, and gel mediums add texture to the canvas. Paint application through palette knives and natural brushwork. Hand-made stencil bespoke for this piece provide a street-art finishing.

Artist interpretation:

A piece created to represent what community can harvest. A soul can be raised and shared with the world. A dark corner can be lifted to become bright. A hollow can become whole. One can become many. The grounding nature of the piece is represented through coarse pumice stone texture, the

fragility of the heart is seen through its surrounding of glass beads, but the spirit of the piece still shines through in the melting of colours and the blast of metallic elements. At first, the heart may seem alone, but is it not surrounded in gold? At first, the canvas seems muted with soft pastels, but

is there not bold neons, metallics and contrast? This piece aims to provoke thinking a little differently, digging a little deeper, and seeing that while individual elements may seem to contradict or overwhelm, when we step back to look at the bigger picture a softness and togetherness comes over us - suddenly, it all makes sense.

Instagram: @RueFranklinArt