Artist Jim Warren’s surreal paintings for his ongoing series titled Ripping portrays children and disembodied adult hands ripping through the canvas into a whole new world of artistic imagination. The figures rupture the surface to reach over to a far more enticing land filled with our child-like fantasies. The torn canvas appears to be a symbol of creative release. Each frame the painter produces represents a breakthrough in a longing to attain one’s dreams.
The surreal imagery of a tiny face or hand poking through a partition offering a splash of color and excitement on one side is so thrilling. The subjects all want so desperately to touch their reveries and, thus, break the barrier between fantasy and reality to fully realize their dreams. It’s really fascinating that we see children’s heads pop out of the canvas, whereas adults only allow their hands to venture forward (with the exception of Captain Hook and the artist himself). As adults, we are able to create fantasies, but can we actually see them? Do we truly believe they are within reach?
