Superb-Man

Acrylic paint canvas.
72″h 72″w
2024

A lot of kids play “Superman” when they are little, by pretending to fly with the help of a parent. The adult lays on their back and holds the child in the air by lifting them with their legs and holding their hands. 

The man in this painting never stopped pretending, taking his imaginary world into dangerous places that are harmful to himself and others. The work speaks to the desire to maintain a childlike innocence, but the difficulty inherent to doing so with the responsibilities and expectations of adulthood.

The legs are nailed to his chest in place of the Superman emblem, referencing the pedestals we place our parents on as children, and how their examples have the gravitas of the gods.