Pair of Covered Vases (2024), acrylic, image transfer and marble dust emulsion on canvas, 56 x 62 inches. All photos by Jenny Gorman, courtesy of Hesse Flatow, shared with permissionFlowers Entwine Porcelain Animals and Objects in Lizzie Gills Surreal TablescapesMarch 31, 2025ArtGrace EbertTo have something be uncanny, you must first introduce the familiar, says Lizzie Gill. Likening her compositions to a dining tables place settings, the artist paints elaborate still lifes that explore the matriarchal lineages and how objects passed down shift in meaning over time.The vivid works feature flat backdrops met by boldly striped or floral linens and a menagerie of animals seized by fresh blooms. A marble and dust emulsion, which Gill layers on the acrylic-painted panel with a bakers piping tool, adds a life-like texture to the petals. She also utilizes an image-transfer process to translate various pieces from her mothers porcelain collection, further enmeshing her works in domestic traditions.Wedgwood (Nightlines) II (2025), acrylic, image transfer and marble dust emulsion on panel, 30 x 24 inchesThe still life, Gill says, is her preferred platform for exploring the tenets of Surrealism and what it means to be a steward. In Lunar Still Life (Avec Lhippopotame), for example, long stems coil around an animated porcelain seal and hippo rendered in delicate blue and white. Still Life With Four Cerulean Vessels is similarly lively as a miniature fox with a vine wrapped around its torso wanders across the tablescape.Decorating the vases are unlikely scenes depicting volcanic eruptions, rocket launches, and even a menacing twister ripping across the terrain. Embellishing antique forms with contemporary imagery, the works juxtapose the calm propriety associated with domestic spaces and world-changing, explosive actions generated by both humans and nature.Based in Sharon, Connecticut, Gill is currently researching historic textiles for upcoming works, and those shown here are on view in her solo exhibition Paraphernalia through April 26 at Hesse Flatow. Follow the latest on Instagram.Lunar Still Life (Avec Lhippopotame) (2025), acrylic, image transfer and marble dust emulsion on panel, 30 x 40 inchesDetail of Wedgwood (Nightlines) II (2025), acrylic, image transfer and marble dust emulsion on panel, 30 x 24 inchesStill Life With Four Cerulean Vessels (2025), acrylic, image transfer and marble dust emulsion on canvas, 48 x 40 inchesTea For Two (Avec Le Caniche) (2025), acrylic, image transfer and marble dust emulsion on canvas, 40 x 48 inchesWedgwood (Nightlines) III (2025), acrylic, image transfer and marble dust emulsion on panel, 30 x 24 inchesLunar Still Life (Avec le Elephant) (2025), acrylic, image transfer and marble dust emulsion on canvas, 60 x 80 inchesWedgwood (Nightlines) (2025), acrylic, image transfer and marble dust emulsion on panel, 30 x 24 inchesNext article