AVAILABLE ART URBAN ARTS HOUSE Pea Party painting

AVAILABLE TO VIEW AND PURCHASE AT URBAN ARTS HOUSE
https://urbanartshouse.org/

"Pea Party"

2024
(Painting)
Acrylic, pastel, pencil, paper mache
18" x 24"

The peas were long cold by now, though their vibrant green remained stubbornly cheerful, as if mocking Margaret's resolve. She sat motionless at the table, her fork abandoned beside her plate. Time had ceased to exist. She was no longer hungry, nor particularly present—she was simply committed. She would not eat the peas.

Their glossy sheen and round perfection betrayed the truth: they were foul little creatures. The thought of one hitting her tongue was enough to make her stomach twist and her throat tighten. Margaret clenched her jaw. Let’s not think about that, she told herself, focusing instead on the faint flicker of candlelight around her.

A flutter at the window caught her attention. Her special guest had arrived. The blue jay she had nicknamed Pip landed on the table with a casual hop. Bold as ever, Pip tilted his head, as if asking permission, then pecked enthusiastically at the peas. Unlike Margaret, Pip seemed to relish the snack, his feathers catching the warm light as he darted from pea to pea.

Behind them, the garden eels swayed gently in their burrows, their curious heads poking up to observe the scene. Their smooth, rhythmic motion gave the room an otherworldly atmosphere, illuminated by the floating candles that hovered like tiny stars above the table.

Adding to the surreal charm was the hand-knit octopus, Tank, its plush tentacles sprawled out as though casually joining the gathering. It sat quietly, a playful yet oddly dignified presence at the peculiar little pea party.

Margaret leaned back, watching Pip with a faint smile. Let him have the peas.

---

The inspiration for this piece came from a past life regression session the artist experienced with Roxanne Foura. In the session, the artist conjured an image of herself in a past life as Margaret—a little girl sitting stubbornly at a table, refusing to eat her peas.

The blue jay was drawn from the artist’s backyard, where the bird frequently visited. The garden eels, recurring characters in the artist’s work, and the hand-knit octopus tank were added to the scene, blending whimsy and surrealism. Together, these elements transformed a simple act of defiance into a fantastical reimagining of Margaret’s moment, bridging past-life memory with a world of creative possibility.