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Watermelon!

Helena Wurzel
  • $85.00

SHIPPING FOR FRAMES ONLY AVAILABLE WITHIN U.S.

SHIPPING FOR FRAMES ONLY AVAILABLE WITHIN U.S.

Add Custom Frame

SHIPPING FOR FRAMES ONLY AVAILABLE WITHIN U.S.

Add Custom Frame

SHIPPING FOR FRAMES ONLY AVAILABLE WITHIN U.S.

Add Custom Frame

SHIPPING FOR FRAMES ONLY AVAILABLE WITHIN U.S.

Add Custom Frame

SHIPPING FOR FRAMES ONLY AVAILABLE WITHIN U.S.

I make paintings to tell stories about the lives of women, rooted in the concept of personal narrative and inherently tied to the feminine realm. Depictions of modern female friendships, my family, and women in singular moments of self-reflection and celebration seek to depict my core values of social connection, time spent outdoors, and finding beauty in the every-day. Whether capturing a glance, walking a dog, or daydreaming, each figures’ actions reveal a narrative, often absorbed in quiet moments of daily living. Recently I have focused on the ways in which figures occupy outdoor spaces, such as scenes from my block, the garden, or a car. Pattern and color, incorporated through clothing, accessories such as sunglasses, jewelry, and cell phones add texture and reference current cultural fashion and icons. My style tends to be bold and graphic, with formal elements employing light and reflections to create specific moods. I hope to unlock the extraordinary in everyday scenes.

Like much of Wurzel's work, Watermelon! is a contemplation of a quotidian moment and also a subtle commentary on the oft-uncredited and always unending work of motherhood. Wurzel tells us that she spends "a lot of time cutting up fruit for my family". The painting focuses on that action. While Wurzel herself is the sole figure visible, it invites the viewer to imagine the larger scene playing out beyond the frame. In my mind, the family's out in the backyard scattered in the slanted light of a summer evening. The sound track is of kids squealing and dogs barking and grown-ups gently gossiping, and the watermelon is the final sweet treat to enjoy at the end of a long, languid summer day.


Wurzel's palette here is daring. Shades of pink and red, distinct and almost discordant, against the backdrop of a riotous Marimekko tablecloth and the way she uses shading to emphasize the shine of that very sharp knife. It's glorious! As with many of my favorite works of art, Watermelon! reminds us that there is beauty, complexity and love to be found in the most mundane moments.


— Jen 

+ Limited-edition, exclusive to 20x200
+ Museum quality: archival inks, 100% cotton rag paper unless noted
+ Signed + numbered certificate of authenticity included
+ Directly supports the artist
+ Handcrafted custom-framing is available

Our quoted dimensions are for the size of paper containing the images, not the printed image itself. We do not alter the aspect ratio, nor do we crop or resize the artists’ originals. All of our prints have a minimum border of .5 inches to allow for framing.

Innova Soft White Cotton IFA 15

8"x10" | edition of 10
11"x14" | edition of 100
16"x20" | edition of 25
24"x30" | edition of 10

Artist - Helena Wurzel

Helena Wurzel

 

Helena Wurzel is a painter, educator, wife, and mother. She received her undergraduate degree from Brown University in 2003 and received her MFA from Boston University in 2007. She had a solo show at Praise Shadows Gallery in 2023 and was in group shows at Virginia MOCA and Saatchi Gallery in London. She was commissioned to paint a contemporary Presidential Portraiture for Bowdoin College and her work is now in their museum collection. In 2024, she was featured in an interview with NYT bestselling author Maggie Smith. The artist lives and works in Cambridge, MA.

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