Amazon Delivered Scissors
A narrative of transformation, self-determination, and the weight of tradition.
This painting depicts a young woman standing atop a coiled rope made from her own cut hair, holding scissors as a symbol of agency and transformation. Set against the backdrop of Dartmouth’s Bartlett Tower, it explores themes of autonomy, breaking tradition, and the emotional complexity of self-redefinition.
In Her Mother Taught Her Prayers, Amazon Delivered Scissors, a young woman with cropped hair stands confidently, scissors in hand, atop a coiled rope created from her own cut hair. The rope serves as both a remnant of her past and a foundation for her future, symbolizing the weight of traditions and beliefs she has chosen to leave behind.
The scissors, a tool of transformation, emphasize her agency in cutting ties with expectations imposed by others. Behind her looms Dartmouth’s Bartlett Tower, a nod to the artist’s personal connections to Dartmouth and the significance of tradition and change. The composition reflects the journey of the model, who found empowerment through self-determination, as well as the artist’s reflections on her own experiences, including her time at Amazon.com and Dartmouth College.
The distressed textures and disrupted realism in the painting reflect the emotional complexity of breaking away from inherited beliefs while highlighting the strength required to embrace personal autonomy. It’s a story of risk-taking, resilience, and the courage to redefine oneself in the face of tradition.
Oil and mixed media on canvas
40″ x 24″
Windows Within: Universal Narratives in Fractured Realism
This body of work by Deborah Scott explores the profound connections between personal stories and shared human experiences. Through a series of conversations and interviews with individuals from diverse backgrounds, Scott uncovers intimate narratives of struggle, resilience, and triumph. These seemingly unique moments are transformed into powerful works of art, revealing their universality and the interconnectedness of all human experiences.
Each painting in Windows Within serves as both a reflection and a revelation, embodying Scott’s belief that art is a mirror to the complexities of identity and existence. Her work draws on the psychological framework of Johari’s Window, exploring the interplay between the visible and hidden aspects of the self. By blending classical techniques with intentional disruptions—rips, tears, and abstract shapes—Scott creates a dynamic visual language that captures the fragmented, evolving nature of contemporary life.
Windows Within is an emotional and visual journey, inviting viewers to see themselves in the stories of others and to consider the profound universality of human connection.
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