Francesco Paonessa

"a youth kneels at the edge of a pond, reaching out a hand to another hand sticking out of the water. abstract plant shapes surround them."

Meeting

Facing the unknown

"icy figure with close-cropped hair and wearing cloud-like robes holds a crystal crown like a fairy tale snow queen"

The Crystal Crown

The power and charm within folk and fairy tales

"horse walking through dreamlike waves while equestrian figure with hidden face dissolves into air"

Dream Rider

Moving through the landscape of sleep

"older male volunteer wearing eyeglasses making a mask while dreamlike threads swirl into and out of a sewing machine" "figurative expressionism"

COVID-19 Response: 

Mask-making Volunteers

"swirls and butterflies representing thoughts and ideas expand over a young person's downcast head" "figurative expressionism"

Metamorphosis

Thoughts taking shape, leading to transformative, personal change.

"pre-teen boy in a suit sitting in a rowboat with an imaginary piano keyboard before him" "figurative expressionism"

A Different Life

Inspired by my father's dreams of playing music while growing up in an environment where that wasn't a possibility.

"masked lab tester wearing gloves and safety glasses hold up a fat syringe in one hand and a test tube in the other while swirls and plumes spread out from the tube"

COVID-19 Response: 

Lab Testers

"seated female figure wearing a long skirt and a diving helmet that has light shooting out of its sides"

Light in Unlikely Places

Sometimes light and hope can appear where you least expect them.

"ethereal face with a wisp of magical breath that grows into a twisting smoky plume containing skates and skeletons and dragons"

A Carrying Whisper

There is power in words.

"portrait of a World War One soldier with half his face obscured by pale clouds and a large dot, set against a background of poppies that fade into barbed wire"

The Psychic toll of the Great War

Or, eternal brain fog of the shell-shocked mind

"a youth with a spiky, crown-shaped head sits on steps, next to a speech bubble containing an anatomical hear. The youth sits in front of an abstract graffiti garden of heart-shaped plants."

Have a heart

Taking stock of what matters

Using Format