Cold Plunge
$800.00
Artist: Hannah Elizabeth Baker
Medium: Oil
Artist Statement:
It was a sad, cold day in March when I went for a walk, hoping to improve my mood. I came across a culvert, swelling with the first melt. In the swirling water, under grey skies, I imagined only more darkness under the surface. A body at rest, perhaps.
Our environment influences every part of our lives. How we navigate the world, our energy, and our feelings. During the long northern winters, the darkness seeps into our minds. This painting is an illustration of the intrusive thoughts that creep up and consume me. It is my environment, my feelings and thoughts, and how they are connected.
I would like the viewer to feel intrigued, maybe confronted, by the darkness in this piece. I’d like for some viewers to feel the melancholy and be seen by it. It’s intended to be a vulnerable statement on mental health and how bleak winter can feel.
Artist Biography:
Hannah Elizabeth Baker is a professional fantastical realism illustrator working in books and games. Her clients include Chaosium, MCDM, Fantasy Flight Games, and Broken Binding. While she has been a successful commercial artist for over a decade, she has recently returned to creating personal artwork centred around using fantasy imagery to express and untangle complicated, yet universal, feelings. She has lived and worked in Toronto and Edinburgh, before returning to settle in her hometown, Bracebridge.
