TALK TO THE WALL AND THE DOOR MAY LISTEN - A mixed media artwork full of hushed stories
- dbwaterman
- May 25
- 3 min read
A Mixed media artwork about childhood and silence.
In my latest mixed media artwork “TALK TO THE WALL AND THE DOOR MAY LISTEN,” a girl stands on a scooter in a corner. She dare not move and seems caught between the shadows of bare branches. She does not look at us, she just turns away. That little turn of her body, that gesture of turning away, says it all. In this artwork, the viewer sees a moment that feels like a memory. Not so much of this specific event, but of a feeling we have all known at one time or another.
Youthful vulnerability captured in image
The child in this work symbolizes the sensitivity of youth. The stage in our lives when simple things - a sound, a shadow, a thought - can grow into something terrifying. As a child, the line between reality and imagination is razor thin. The shadows on the wall then are not accidental light, but something to be afraid of.
In the work you see no action, no drama, but rather silence. And in that silence there is tension. The girl says nothing. Yet her posture speaks volumes. She stands there as if she is trying to hide something, or perhaps hoping to reveal something - but only if someone is really listening. That title, then, is no accidental find: “Talk to the wall and the door may listen.”
About what remains unsaid
This mixed media artwork is not about what is spoken loudly, but about what remains unsaid. The things that are not told, that perhaps cannot even be told. Therefore, the work is also meant for the viewer to not only look, but also listen. Not with the ears, but with the inner self. What is this child saying? Or better: what does it not dare to say?
It is that field of tension - between inside and outside, between seeing and feeling - that I try to capture with my layered imagery. It is not a literal narrative, but a visual echo of something we know but rarely name.
A faded past
Visually, the work evokes the atmosphere of a dreamy, faded past. Like looking at a yellowed photograph whose details slowly dissolve in time. Combining collage, image transfers and painting techniques creates a weathered surface that is alive. The line between what is real and what becomes memory is blurred.
My mixed media style deliberately plays with this duality: sharpness versus blur, light versus dark, tangibility versus suggestion. The structures and textures in the work reinforce that sense of impermanence and memory.
Recognition in the unknown
Although the child in the work is a specific individual, above all it should evoke a universal feeling. Something that touches on your own childhood, on moments when you felt small, silent or uncertain. This makes the work personal to each viewer. Because although we are all different, we share more than we think - especially when it comes to memories and emotions.
“TALK TO THE WALL AND THE DOOR MAY LISTEN” is more than an image; it is a mirror for the inner child. A memory in picture form. A silent conversation in the corner where light and shadow meet.
