Powerball
acrylic on earthenware ceramic
19 x 11 x 3.5cm
2019

There is an unclaimed winning Powerball ticket that was sold by my local news agent six months ago and ever since I’ve dreamed of finding it. I work in a supermarket car park pushing trolleys and check all the scraps of paper I find in the hope that I’ll hit the jackpot. After all, with a winning Powerball ticket life really could be a dream. Meanwhile, at my house, snails have made a home in my letter box and keep gobbling up my bills before I can get to them. My fear is that one day I will find the winning Powerball ticket in the car park but a snail will have beat me to it. Powerball (2019) is a playful response to the notion that entering into a power struggle with nature is never going to end well. We are always taught to gamble responsibly but to ignore our planet’s warnings is a gamble none of us should be willing to take.

This piece was a finalist in 2019 R&M McGivern painting prize.