Exploring The Witch Archetype
Candle Study V, 2025, 14 × 11 in, Acrylic and stain on wood panel
The Candle Studies
I just finished the last painting in this collection of small works, exploring themes of perception and transformation through magical objects. The candle and mirror are utilized throughout this series to express control over one’s sense of identity (or lack of) and how a reflection can be haunting.
Creating this work has been really refreshing. It was a last minute decision to take a break from what I’d been working on to freely test some things out. Specifically working small allowed me to take chances on new motifs and push how I approach painting objects.
Mostly, I’m excited to pivot from painting scenes that thematically feel like realism. In recent years, I’ve reimagined real moments through my hand characters, while citing actual quotes as painting titles. Although those paintings are very dear to my heart, I love shifting into this visual genre that feels like fantasy horror. It’s really allowing me to call upon influences and utilize nostalgic, magical motifs—reminiscent of the whimsigoth that I grew up with in the 90’s and early 2000’s, like Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
Stills from Sabrina The Teenage Witch
Last fall, I got to introduce Halloweentown to the niblings while I was babysitting, and sharing these beloved shows made me realize why I deeply resonated with characters like Marnie and Sabrina. I related to them from the perspective that they were literally mixed-race—half-human and half-witch—constantly trying to understand how they belonged in each of their worlds. These characters and their stories had such an impact on me that even today as an adult, every year in late August I do an annual rewatch. My Halloween season is long. There are also many decorations.
But primarily, I love that the witch represents the Other, and anyone that has ever felt a lack of belonging can see themselves in this character. I think this is what makes building metaphors through these magical objects so enticing to me.
I am so excited to be making work through this magical lens, and can’t wait to do more world building.
