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Drink To Me, 2023
A Photograph by Karen Cuervo
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"Drink To Me" inspiration came from the vintage dessert plate in the middle - "He lives long, who lives well", a proverb from the 16th century, saying to live honorably is more important than living for a long time. To me, the man holding a beer mug is a contradiction to the words on the plate. The contradiction is excess - the man is portly and well dressed, the lady is skinny and a servant to the man. This to me is the opposite of the words on the plate. The words "Drink to me with only thine eyes" a song by Johnny Cash based from "To Celia" (1616) by Ben Johnson says he could drink to his heart's content of the nectar of the king of the gods, he would prefer the nectar made by his earthly beloved. This adds another level of thought to the piece. I loved the colors of the plate and built the images around the plate incorporating all the pieces. The evil eyes are there to protect you from evil curses and malicious intent. The chess pieces and darts support the whole "game of life" feel. Finally, the girl with the swords is Raya from "Raya and the Last Dragon" . The message is that it's okay to have differences. We can still live in peace and harmony with those who are not the same as ourselves; we do not have to be isolated from one another. This was the last item added to the work - makes a perfect contribution and lives perfectly next to the plate.
