Neighbors: Drawings and Prints

WORKS BY DANIELLA NAPOLITANO

July 2020

"I’ve always gravitated toward wildlife as subject matter. While living in Washington, DC I became fascinated with how wildlife adapted to manmade environments and how people interact with them in their daily lives. I began observing people’s attitudes about the wildlife in the Phoenix metropolitan area to translate into my work. However, as COVID-19 ground the world to a halt, I also slowed down to observe the small worlds directly around me. The majority of the works in this exhibition were based on animals I saw around my apartment complex or in a nearby park. The more I explored my “neighborhood,” the more I started recognizing the familiar “faces” of my animal neighbors. The works in colored pencil reference the idyllic bird illustrations of John James Audubon. Rendered in lush colors, these animals are not shown in the wilderness but rather in contrast with everyday objects I associate with Phoenix. The focus on realism heightens the absurdity of the combinations. In contrast, the relief prints are more expressive and capture how I felt while recalling my interactions with each animal. Like memories, some prints are more concrete with a clear narrative and others are hazy half-stories." -Daniella Napolitano on "Neighbors"