Seeds Not Included

Modeling paste and acrylic on wood box | 2" x 3.5" x 2" | One of a kind

This surface was not planned. Working with an oval palette knife at just the right dampness and angle, the blade began to suction lightly to the modeling paste, and when pulled away, left behind a pattern of cells: irregular, clustered, unmistakably interior. The pomegranate arrived on its own terms.

Once seen, it couldn't be unseen. The title followed.

Persephone ate six pomegranate seeds in the underworld and was bound to return there for six months of every year. The story is usually told as a tragedy of captivity, or as an explanation for winter. It can also be read as a story about a choice, and what it costs to make one. The seeds are not included here. What you do with that is your own business.

The box is functional, with a hinged lid and interior space. It is also a myth. Both things are true at the same time.