Product Description

To Have, To Hold depicts a scene often found on a subway train. At the heart of the composition, a bouquet of hydrangeas sits cradled in paper. Hovering just above the blossoms, a woman dressed in a green jacket clutches a smartphone. A green glaze further evokes the artificial light of a train carriage.

The image is framed in a pink border, overlaid with a repeating pattern of stylized flowers and tulips in deep maroon. This border, symmetrical and decorative, evokes folk art or embroidery referencing folk art and traditional patterns. The phrases TO HAVE and TO HOLD appear subtly embedded in the composition, one in the upper left, the other in the lower right.

There is a tension between the organic softness of the flowers and the flat, graphic rigidity of the border. This juxtaposition mirrors the friction between the analog and digital, the sentimental and transactional. The artwork aims to frame an everyday occurrence, such as a commute, in a new focus by placing emphasis on the romance of small moments of connection and community.

Year: 2023