Good Spirits, or May You Always be in Good Spirits, is a whimsical look at this old skeleton engraving, and a literal mashing of two very polarized concepts: darkness and levity. Look at this gentleman, or what ‘remains’ of this gentleman. He’s leaning on a shovel drinking champagne. Why the shovel? Is he preparing to dig his own grave? Why the Champaign? Is he happy about his current state of being? Look at all the empty bottles littering the ground. It would seem he’s quite the tipper, but think again about those empty bottles. Are they not also figurative of corpses? Haven’t you heard people say when they’ve finished a bottle of alcohol, that they ‘killed it’? There’s also a cross in the background, possibly marking a grave.
So with all this inference to death or dying, where are the good spirits of this piece? Well, I put a smile on the face of the subject. It’s subtle, but there. The top hat, tie and champagne help give our subject a celebratory feel as well. This gentleman seems to be rather hopeful about his future.
The fact of the narrative is this, no matter what your lot is in this life, or any other life for that matter…it’s my wish that you always be in good spirits; emotionally, physically and spiritually. Oh, and lately, if I do choose to imbibe, I choose top shelf…also good spirits!
Acrylic image transfer, acrylic skin, mediums, and paint on canvas.