Boyo 1

42cm x 59cm

Acrylic on canvas, unframed

A teenage boy stares out with a sullen expression, wearing an orange party hat. Its pointed shape loosely resembles a dunce cap, suggesting the awkwardness and self-consciousness that often come with adolescence. At the bottom of the canvas, a goose peeks in—bright-eyed and cheerful, with an orange beak that subtly echoes the boy’s hat. The goose might be a remnant of childhood—perhaps even a stand-in for a long-forgotten stuffed animal—offering a glimpse into a softer, more playful past. The painting sits somewhere between introspection and absurdity, capturing that strange, in-between space of growing up. This is the first in a series of three paintings exploring similar themes of youth and the painful experience of adolescence.