08/30/2026
Laura E. Pritchett on a new series of work:
"About the new collection:
I’m thinking of calling it, “Can I Keep It?,” inspired by my childhood habit of constantly asking my parents this question when I came across animals of all kinds (including a discarded race horse and many other creatures I tamed in the woods and had no business handling). I’m reframing this experience with a purpose of conveying feminine strength. The young girls in these paintings have a vintage 1940’s/50s aesthetic to bring to mind restrictive societal limitations/expectations while their relationships to powerful animals prove to be fiercely contrary. The title “Can I Keep It?” would no longer be the plea of a girl asking for permission to have an unexpected pet, it’s her self-reflection: Can she keep the fiery, untamed heart of her youth as she grows up and navigates life?
As I was recently trying to explain to a friend how this occurred, I found myself saying how “crazy and reckless” I was as a kid, but part of me missed that girl and I thought, gosh, am I still capable of that kind of fearlessness or have I allowed adulthood, maturity, responsibility, society, etc. to tame more of her than I wish it had? I think this is a universal reflection adults often have to varying degrees and I plan to explore it from my specific point of view and with a variety of symbolic creatures."
This piece is on view now in our current figurative exhibition, "Bodies of Work." Come see the show in person through September 14th!
https://principlegallery.com/gallery/bodies-of-work/
“Bond” 30 x 40, acrylic on mounted linen on wood
