Acrylic on canvas – 9,5 x 12 inch – Unique work

What a strange animal. It is both fascinating and terrifying.

The scorpion lives in warmth. Whether under rocks, in deserts, in walls, even in houses, it will make itself comfortable on the bed, or even better under the sheets, and best of all, under the covers! Since it is afraid of light, it moves, lives, and feeds mainly at night until dawn. Its diet consists mainly of live prey paralyzed by the venom contained in its stinger. This is a last resort. Because it takes two weeks to “recharge” its venom. This is why spiders, woodlice, and even another scorpion are its favorite foods. It rarely attacks humans, except as a reflexive defense.

The scorpion symbolizes danger, punishment, and also protection. It’s curious in humans, this need to always give an animal a symbolic meaning, whether positive or negative. The need to absolutely explain and justify the existence of this or that species.

I’m different.

I chose to represent the scorpion in blue. Blue, for me, is the sky, infinity, freedom. It is caught up, consumed by rust (technically this pigment is called burnt sienna). This color in my eyes is fire, anger, hatred, death. Between the two a gray area, a mixture of the different pigments of the canvas.

The scorpion tries to save himself, to escape all his negative emotions, whatever the cost, even if it means sacrificing a part of himself. He prefers his freedom even if he doesn’t know where it will lead him. The unknown doesn’t scare him; he escapes in a hurry.

I dare to give you some keys to understanding this painting. And yet, deep down, I tell myself that it is very presumptuous of me to write these few lines. You are free to see what you want and imagine your part of the story. Or to imagine nothing at all and let yourself be carried away by the colors and the movement. My love of words is too strong to give up this habit of writing something for each painting that I do. I have often been asked to choose between one or the other … But I get to decide!