Terri Horricks - As Above, So Below,
I had the pleasure of fish sitting Orangy for a week while my son and daughter-in-law visited Mexico last November. Orangy is a Betta Fish (a.k.a. Siamese Fighting Fish). Orangy had a way of moving through its watery home that mesmerized me. I enjoyed feeding time, so I could watch him move about. Oaxaca by Claude Demers, reminded me of Orangy’s colours and movement.
I see Demers’ piece as an image of the feet and chaps of a costumed participant during a Day of the Dead Festival that takes place in Oaxaca, Mexico. Marigolds are used in abundance for the festival. It is often celebrated the first couple of days of November. (Coincidentally, the time I was enjoying Orangy’s company.) As I studied Demers piece, I found many dichotomies between the man and the fish, the feet and the fins, the dry heat of Mexico vs the fresh water from my Ontario well, a festive atmosphere vs the slow, hum of a watery depth.
It was through the dichotomies of these subjects that As Above, So Below came about, but during the creative process, the realization hit me that they were, in fact, more alike than different. Perhaps the differences are just what is most obvious at the surface; it’s when we go deeper that we begin to find the commonalities.
See the work by Claude Demers that inspired this piece here part of the Pairings show 2025.
12x24 inches
Mixed Media
I had the pleasure of fish sitting Orangy for a week while my son and daughter-in-law visited Mexico last November. Orangy is a Betta Fish (a.k.a. Siamese Fighting Fish). Orangy had a way of moving through its watery home that mesmerized me. I enjoyed feeding time, so I could watch him move about. Oaxaca by Claude Demers, reminded me of Orangy’s colours and movement.
I see Demers’ piece as an image of the feet and chaps of a costumed participant during a Day of the Dead Festival that takes place in Oaxaca, Mexico. Marigolds are used in abundance for the festival. It is often celebrated the first couple of days of November. (Coincidentally, the time I was enjoying Orangy’s company.) As I studied Demers piece, I found many dichotomies between the man and the fish, the feet and the fins, the dry heat of Mexico vs the fresh water from my Ontario well, a festive atmosphere vs the slow, hum of a watery depth.
It was through the dichotomies of these subjects that As Above, So Below came about, but during the creative process, the realization hit me that they were, in fact, more alike than different. Perhaps the differences are just what is most obvious at the surface; it’s when we go deeper that we begin to find the commonalities.
See the work by Claude Demers that inspired this piece here part of the Pairings show 2025.
12x24 inches
Mixed Media
I had the pleasure of fish sitting Orangy for a week while my son and daughter-in-law visited Mexico last November. Orangy is a Betta Fish (a.k.a. Siamese Fighting Fish). Orangy had a way of moving through its watery home that mesmerized me. I enjoyed feeding time, so I could watch him move about. Oaxaca by Claude Demers, reminded me of Orangy’s colours and movement.
I see Demers’ piece as an image of the feet and chaps of a costumed participant during a Day of the Dead Festival that takes place in Oaxaca, Mexico. Marigolds are used in abundance for the festival. It is often celebrated the first couple of days of November. (Coincidentally, the time I was enjoying Orangy’s company.) As I studied Demers piece, I found many dichotomies between the man and the fish, the feet and the fins, the dry heat of Mexico vs the fresh water from my Ontario well, a festive atmosphere vs the slow, hum of a watery depth.
It was through the dichotomies of these subjects that As Above, So Below came about, but during the creative process, the realization hit me that they were, in fact, more alike than different. Perhaps the differences are just what is most obvious at the surface; it’s when we go deeper that we begin to find the commonalities.
See the work by Claude Demers that inspired this piece here part of the Pairings show 2025.
12x24 inches
Mixed Media