HOLLY ROCHFORD
THE MINDFUL
I produce dark and revealing work, there are no 2 ways about it. Most recently, I've received pressure from near and afar to withold and temper, but that is just not my way. I am thoughtful, sensitive and we live in a brutal world. What else could I do but express myself? It is my strong opinion that painting pretty in a disturbed world is more twisted than painting the ugly truth.
AMERICA IN BETA - SOLD
I tend to paint with political or social undertones. And this, is 1 political nightmare. No need to identify a party or figure, its the system that's at large. We as a unified society are edible little delights for who ever wears the crown. Though the lyric by Band of Horses "Funeral" could be argued to be terribly out of context, i find it still fits.
"The dead leaves lay on the lawn,
for they have dead trees to hang upon."
We are all vulnerable to the dead system we call American Democracy until we unthrown all the players and disband the oligarchy.
MULTI-FACED, TRIPTYCH
Multi Face[ted]
This is the 2nd portion to the triptych. It's sad, lonesome and faces away from the horror and dread of what my brain and emotions encountered on medicine. Multifaceted bares an obvious meaning. There are many faces to depression and anxiety. The inner turmoil that boils while presenting a stone sober face is frightening in itself and is only well known by its owner.
02
Unfinished | Untitled
Currently wrapped in string, beneath lay an incomplete lyric from 'Let Her Go' covered by Jasmine Thompson.
"Hoping one day you'll make a dream last
But dreams come slow and they go so fast"
Having run out of material, I will have to
rework and complete this portion.
01
Brain Freeze
This is the 3rd portion to the triptych. It's my favorite, though as disturbing as it is, it's the most accurate of the nightmare I experienced while on medicine. As if in the shadows of my brain something ate away at me while I unknowingly lay convinced i was going to be a better person. The most overused phrase I've used to friends and family is 'i feel empty.'
03
KURT COBAIN
I'm not sure what compelled me to read into Cobain's last days most recently. Whether it was a passing article or some obsession I have with morbidity, but he was a successful musician that never found peace. His life spun into turmoil through drugs and his own discontent with his music. He got what he thought he wanted, and he hated it more than life itself. Another tragedy for the books. My favorite album has always been Nevermind. I remember listening at the age of 19 to the top of the dial, screaming his lyrics along with him. Banging my fists against the stearing wheel and feeling my own angst and solitude. He had a way of portraying his own individual misery but in a style that was universally relatable. He saved more lives than he knew. He was just too dark in his shadow to understand what his life meant to the world. Now some 20 years later I pay homage, appropriately listening to Nevermind and painting his guts out on board. Grim, but somehow I think not only is it appropriate, but also that he would like it.
Lyrics:
Drain You: I like you you you
Territorial Pissings: Gotta find a better way
Breed: I'm afraid
Polly: It amazes me the will of instinct.