Feeding the Children
by Aurora Pagano
Grandma created boating adventures in her sink. As I carefully sailed the button people across the water, she nourished me with food and stories of respect and kindness. Even after I was full, she managed a special spoonful for “the love of mommy,” another for the “love of daddy,” another for “my sweet sister,” and a final heaping spoonful for “dear baby Jesus” who loved me oh so very much! Incredible depths in Matriarch wisdom.
A mixed media portrait with photographs, paintings, drawings, and text depicts a grandmother holding their grandchild. Their light-coloured skin and dark hair are in grayscale. In their photograph, placed in the centre of the work, the grandmother is standing, wearing a light-coloured sleeveless top and looking at the camera. Arms extending outward and to the left, the grandmother holds their grandchild up in the air with both hands. The grandchild, smiling at their grandmother, is looking to the right. The child is dressed in light-coloured flowing fabric. Behind them is a brick wall. Surrounding their portrait and overlapping the photograph is grey-coloured text on the left side. The text writes “uno per papa,” “uno per mamma,” and “Sorellina”. Below the portrait are two small bowls painted beige inside with a decorative white and red pattern on their exterior. In the bowl on the left, there are three buttons painted brown, pink, and blue. On the bowl to the right, there are two buttons painted teal-green and yellow. To the farthest right of the portrait is a drawing of a silver spoon with an ornate handle. Behind the tip of the spoon is a circle of gold leaf. The background of the work is painted silver on the right and light blue on the left.
A mixed media with encaustic work depicting a grandmother holding their grandchild. Their photograph in the centre is surrounded by text on the left side, a painting of two small bowls with buttons inside placed on the bottom left and right, and a drawing of a spoon on the right.
Forever Nostalgic
The adventurous escape that the “galloping blue pony” provided enabled us to travel across fast imagined lands. Everyone vied to ride “'blue boy” as he was the most swift.
A surrealist-style painting depicts a figure with light skin and long brown hair, tied back with an elastic. The figure is wearing a loose, tea-length red dress that is down to their calves. They are sitting in the foreground of the painting, turned away from us, with their back facing the viewer. They lean on a spring-loaded decorative horse, painted blue with white hair and a red and brown harness, stemming from dark coils in the ground. The decorative horse resembles those from merry-go-round rides. The figure’s head is tilted slightly up and towards an impression of a sun painted in the background, with their hands placed to the horse’s backside. In the background and throughout the painting are washy, loose, and mixed brushstrokes of yellow, orange, and brown.
A painting depicting a figure with long hair and a red dress sitting on a spring-loaded decorative horse stemming from the ground. In the background are washy brushstrokes of yellow and orange, with an impression of a giant sun in the sky.
Aurora Pagano Relationships between the tumultuous human journey, cultural relativism, and the environment are the key inspirations for Aurora Pagano’s art. She immerses herself in extensive research while developing each body of work. Translating content into figurative symbolism, Pagano creates richly narrative compositions with elements of theatrical drama. She produces illusory effects through a delicate encaustic or laying approach with mixed media, pearlescent or reflective pigments, and metals in juxtaposed combinations. Pagano has worked as an arts educator for over 30 years, developing enriched curricula for youth across Toronto. She has curated interdisciplinary festivals and designed regional and national projects to foster community, raise social awareness, and empower leadership through the arts. She is a published illustrator, and her paintings have been exhibited across the GTA.