Paint the Roses Red! Oil

This painting is part of my Wonderland series and draws on the Queen of Hearts, surrounded by her card soldiers in a controlled, highly structured setting. Referencing the command to “paint the roses red,” the work shifts focus from narrative to the systems underpinning it.
Through repetition, hierarchy, and rigid organisation, the composition reflects on the alienation of labour. The uniform presence of the soldiers suggests a loss of individuality, where action becomes mechanical and empathy is gradually eroded. Authority is asserted not through chaos, but through order, routine, and expectation.
Balancing theatricality with restraint, the painting considers how control operates within both historical and contemporary contexts, extending beyond the workplace into broader social structures.