ABIGAIL ENGSTRAND
FLOAT, watercolor on round canvas, 24” diameter, 2023
FLOAT is a painting of my friend Evan’s daughter Elara, floating joyfully in her blowup backyard pool. I was inspired by the vivid colors captured in this moment, and by her ecstatic expression. This painting speaks to her happiness, but also to the interconnected nature of joy, which has the power to bring all people together.
Why Water Street?
I am a lifelong supporter of women’s rights and family planning. To know my artwork is at Water Street, supporting women and families making decisions for their own lives, comforting those who need comfort, means the world to me. It really is a big step forward for me, my career, my life and my art, to be able to float together towards a more peaceful, healthy world.
More about this artist:
What inspires my art is what I love about life. Some of my best works are about my own family, or involve sharing other people’s stories by showing a person doing something we can all relate to. I like to find beauty and create beauty, but am equally driven to make a difference in the world through my artwork. I have strong feelings about politics, justice, health and happiness, which shaped how I raised my children, and now how I approach a career as an artist.
As a painter, I like to explore different mediums and textures when I paint, as each is capable of imbuing unique qualities and emotional understanding to a story. I love watercolor because of the loose reflective layers it creates. Often in my painting process I enjoy experiencing pareidolia or seeing new images reveal themselves in the negative spaces.
I love to look at, study, and empathize with people. If my work doesn't actually feature a person then it most definitely tells a story about what a person can do, see and feel.
