C$500
The birds on the balcony use my skulls as furniture, creating these "living still lifes." The horse skull's beautiful and subtle shape calls to mind the fleetness of its origin. An aerodynamic face, for parting the wind. In another life I rode horses.
Only at the end of the painting did I realize it was a self-portrait -- the chickadee, survivor of harsh winters, perched up high and looking out, the same way I look out from the balcony, knowing more winters are coming. Preparing to launch, poised between moments. Standing on the bones of another life.
Here are my bones, and birds, and I, waiting to meet whatever comes next.
| Exhibition: | 2026 Art Speaks |
| Technique: | Oil on Panel |
| Contents: | Goat, Animal, Bird, Person, Face, Head, Livestock, Bull, Mammal, Cattle, Smoke, Buffalo, Wildlife, Beak, Waterfowl, Seagull |
| Edition: | Original, one of a kind artwork |
| Unframed Size: | 18in x 14in |
| Frame: | Not framed |
| Weight: | 1.9lbs (estimated) |
Audrey Dagger
My work is about survival and redemption, death and triumph, loss and pain, and gratitude for the pieces of beauty that fall at our feet in the midst of these things.
"Why oil? Because of the rich body of knowledge pertaining to its use that stretches back through the centuries. Because the greatest paintings in the world were painted with it. Because the smell of it is like standing in a sunny field of flax."