Description
‘The Goldilocks Zone of Love’ by Jacquell
Artist: Jacquell
Title: ‘The Goldilocks Zone of Love’
Medium: Watercolour and earth pigments on tea-dyed Fabriano Artistico paper
Dimensions: 18.7″ x 18.7″
Framing: Unframed
Year of Creation: 2021
About the Artwork:
“In the search for life in the vast universe, astronomers have concluded certain criterias in order to narrow down the number of potential hospitable planets that share Earth-like environments. The ‘Goldilocks Zone,’ or habitable zone, is the range of distance with the right temperatures for water to remain liquid on a celestial object. Liquid water is essential for Earthlings existence, so if there is water, possibly there is also life.
Loosely inspired by this astronomical term and the characteristics of blackholes, this painting is about ‘distance’. The right distance for life to exist. The right distance for love to thrive. Dominating the middle of blooming hollyhock garden, a small blackhole devouring nearby objects and right above it, a pair of butterfly dancing and mating in ectasy. Trail of their pigments seems to swirl towards the blackhole.
The painting is also one my first attempts with earth and mineral pigment – a traditional Asian artistic convention that was brought back to prosperity by Japanese painters and scholars during pre-war period. I’d like to incorporate traditional techniques and motifs with modern narratives, as it’s also one of my initiatives in pursuing art, to create a world where the past and present intertwine and coexist.” – Jacquell
About the Artist:
Phuong, also professionally known as Jacquell, is a self-taught artist born and raised in Saigon, Vietnam. While pursuing her B.F.A in graphic design at Southwestern Oklahoma State University in the United States, she explored her childhood passion for watercolor painting and transformed a hobby into a lifelong career. Phuong is currently based in Bologna, a beautiful town in northern Italy where she continues to nurture her art practice with her family.
To Phuong, art presents infinite possibilities. It can be a vessel that carries one’s history and emotion across dimensions, a mirror that reflects society’s ever-changing reality, or a portal that transcends dreams. Phuong’s watercolor paintings are often described as realistic with a hint of surrealism. They often juxtapose a poignant narrative of the human condition against a muted backdrop of flora and fauna, reflecting her connection to Vietnamese culture and tradition.