In a surreal street-scene vignette, a lifelike painted peacock seems to step out from a rich red-orange hued brick wall, while a necklace segment of Murano glass and freshwater pearls hangs like a bold urban mural. Its vivid palette mirrors the bird’s iridescent blues, greens, and yellows, staging a dialogue between nature and artifice.

The wall is digitally derived from a photograph of scrapbook paper —expanded and recolored to heighten contrast with the peacock’s plumage. Nearby, handcrafted paint cans, a tray, and a roller underscore human intervention even as they echo the bird’s flamboyance.

Playful yet pointed, this contemporary narrative piece asks whether artists can invent color harmonies not already present in nature — inviting viewers to consider how we perceive, curate, and intensify nature’s colors.

Materials: Murano glass, freshwater pearls, digitally manipulated photograph of scrapbook paper, realistic model of a painted peacock, dollhouse miniature frames, wire, wood, paper, acrylic paint, paper clip, cloth

Framing: Custom shadow box with museum glass in a deep black wooden frame, produced in collaboration with Chevy Chase Art Gallery, Washington, DC.