This is my take on the classic Pre-Raphaelite painting subject and poem “The Lady of Shalott,” by Alfred Lord Tennyson. It is also inspired by the John Everett Millais painting, “The Bridesmaid.” “The Curse” shows the moment of realization when the Lady of Shalott understands that the mysterious curse placed upon her has taken hold and her fate has become known, after gazing out her window onto the approaching Lancelot. My painting shares with “The Bridesmaid” the themes of superstition, and external forces at work, but then twists what was prayerful hope into despair, tragedy, and unrequited love. The painting further calls on these themes with the sunflowers, referencing the Greek myth of Clytie and Helios, where the water nymph Clytie was transformed into a flower that followed the sun across the sky after her own tragic wrongdoings. –Matthew Cook This painting is framed is a custom wood frame created by the artist. ON THE BACK: Out flew the web and floated wide; The mirror crack'd from side to side; 'The curse is come upon me,' cried The Lady of Shalott. --Aflred Lord Tennyson "The Lady of Shalott" part 3, St. 5, L.6-9

"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." - W.B. Yeats

"The chief difficulty Alice found at first was in managing her flamingo: she succeeded in getting its body tucked away, comfortably enough, under her arm, with its legs hanging down, but generally, just as she had got its neck straightened out, and was going to give the hedgehog a blow with its head, it would twist itself round and look up in her face, with such a puzzled expression that she could not help bursting out laughing... Alice soon came to the conclusion that it was a very difficult game indeed" - Lewis Carroll 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' ch. VIII

"Shoot all the bluejays you want if you can hit 'em, but remember, it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." - A. Finch

Laughter is mad, and reckless mirth— What does she in this weary earth? Should Wealth, or Fame, Our life employ. Death comes, our labour to destroy; To snatch the untasted cup away For which we toiled so many a day What, then, remains for wretched man? To use life’s comforts while he can - A. Brontë

While still life painting can be dated back to the Ancient Egyptians, this still life takes on a modern theme. A crystal decanter and whiskey glass are set upon a piece of fraying tapestry. The curiosity comes when the viewer takes a closer look to discover a bee has flown in and is perched on the neck of the decanter. This piece is framed in a heavy wooden frame with a gold insert. The framed dimensions are H 14.5 x W 16.5 inches.