Chicago, IL
Lately I have been depressed about the state of the world, and precious little makes me smile. So thank you, Isabella Dampney, for cracking me up with a series of oil paintings that probably shouldn’t make me feel any better yet nevertheless do. Comedy is for sadness, and it turns out that what mine requires is your picture of a male dog named Jerry adrift in a yellow, white and light blue abstraction of Niagara Falls. (Is it piss? It’s not, but it is.) Also your portrait of a different canine at the wheel of a navy blue sedan, a fire hydrant in the distance, a totally sincere word bubble coming from the pup, who exclaims, “This is new to me, I’m here to listen.” Indeed, it is, and indeed, I am. I am here to listen, because I don’t know what the hell else to do, as the school bus (of the world) drives off the cliff, as it does in one of your paintings. Help! And thank you for the help. I need it. We all do.
—Lori Waxman 2020-02-22 8:24 PM