A portrait which stands tall at the Felons Barrel Hall with the artist statement transcribed at its base.
Oliver will dance with me in the middle of the busy mall (the footpath becomes a playground), he shows me books of 'unnoticed' creatures of nature (they live in the sea), crystals his dad found at work (we imagine they are tiny landscapes), a dinosaur toy (its face worn from 'play eating'), CDs that act as musical objects (never to be played). He draws fantastical characters based on everyday customers at work, he is always down for pizza, he asks me the best questions...
Although Oli has countless talents in many crafts, I am most inspired by his ability to turn unashamed wonder into a daily life practice, generously shared with those willing to imagine with him. In creating this portrait of my beautiful friend Oliver, I hope to offer a totem, or even just a reminder to practice fascination, to be silly, to wear it if you like it, to ask people about what really excites them, to hang out without spending any money, to air guitar in the car ride home (the best bit of the night), to let him know that he is, at least to me, a very much 'noticed' creature of nature.
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