Abstract

What if myths grew from the earth, unfurling their petals like fists? What if they lived in the undergrowth, in tree hollows, in between the feathers of ravens' wings? My MFA thesis exhibition, Natural Fictions (April 17-21, 2023), was produced with these questions in mind. In this support paper, I explore the ways in which painting can be a pathway to enchantment. In particular, I focus on the enchanted gaze, and how this gaze both complicates and enriches our interactions with the more-than-human world.