Participating in “Imagination 25” at Mills Pond Gallery

Participating in “Imagination 25” at Mills Pond Gallery

I am delighted to share that I have been invited to participate in the group exhibition “Imagination 25” at Mills Pond Gallery. This annual show gathers artists whose works explore the power of imagination, transforming inner visions into tangible artistic expressions. To have one of my paintings included among such a diverse range of voices feels deeply meaningful.

The work selected for this exhibition is part of a larger series of large-scale watercolors I began last year while exploring the fundamental role of art. This series has already received recognition: one of the works was sold during this year’s “Winners Exhibition.” Now, another piece from the same body of work will be on view in “Imagination 25.” For me, this continuity affirms that the questions I am pursuing through painting continue to resonate.

This particular painting is especially personal. It originated not only from artistic exploration but also from a vivid dream I had before the pandemic. In that dream, I saw an angel gazing into a mirror. At first glance, the figure appeared to be a radiant angel. But when I looked closer, I noticed something unsettling—the angel possessed a serpent’s tail. What struck me most was that in the mirror, only the angel’s pure form was reflected. The serpent’s tail was hidden, visible only through the faint glow of a candle and the drawings on a cave wall.

This dream scene became, for me, a symbolic meditation on the role of art. In our world, appearances often mask deeper realities. Hypocrisy, pretense, and contradictions are easily concealed behind polished images. Yet art, like the candlelight in my dream, has the power to reveal what lies beneath. It illuminates the hidden, the uncomfortable, and the unspoken truths that otherwise remain unseen.

From time to time, I experience dreams that remain vivid long after waking. When that happens, I try to capture them through painting. To me, dreams are a language of the unconscious, sometimes revealing truths more clearly than waking life. This painting is one of those rare works born out of such a dream. It is not just an image but an exploration of how art serves as a torchlight—bringing hidden realities into view, questioning the world we inhabit, and offering new perspectives.

To participate in “Imagination 25” is not only an honor but also a reminder of the path I have chosen as an artist. This exhibition is both a continuation and a new beginning, linking my inner vision to a broader conversation with viewers. My hope is that those who encounter this painting will feel the same symbolic tension I experienced in the dream—that delicate balance between the beauty of the angel and the disturbing presence of the serpent’s tail, revealed only by light and art.
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In the end, this work is a personal testament to the enduring role of art: to shine a light on the contradictions of the world, to pierce through facades, and to remind us that truth often lies in what is not immediately visible.