Image 1 of 1
Image 1 of 1
Image 1 of 1
Image 1 of 1
Year: 2026
Size: 16 × 12 inches
Display: Black frame
Medium: Watercolor and highlighter
A brightly colored zap gun appears inside an advertisement inspired by vintage comic books and the Ray Gun from Call of Duty Zombies. Surrounded by lightning, bold lettering, and the promise that “It Really Works!!,” the weapon looks like something a child might discover on the back page of a comic and immediately believe could be real.
The zap gun represents the years the artist spent playing video games and surviving endless rounds of zombies. The objective was simple: keep moving, protect your friends, collect better weapons, and survive one more round. Failure was temporary because the game could always begin again. Those memories belong to a period when time felt unlimited and the greatest pressure came from something that could be defeated by turning off the console.
The painting contrasts that freedom with the invisible chains of adulthood. Responsibilities, expectations, work, health, money, and relationships do not arrive in clearly marked waves. There is no mystery box containing the perfect solution, no reset button, and no guarantee that surviving one challenge will make the next one easier.
The highlighter creates an artificial glow around the weapon, making it appear charged with the energy of memory. The surrounding darkness represents the weight of the artist’s present life, while the bright gun remains a small portal to a time that felt safer and easier to understand.
It Really Works!! is both a celebration of gaming nostalgia and an advertisement for an escape that cannot actually be purchased. The zap gun cannot break the chains of the artist’s current life, but remembering the person who once believed in it provides a brief release. The game has changed, the enemies are harder to identify, and there are no extra lives, but part of that younger player continues searching for a way through the next round.
Year: 2026
Size: 16 × 12 inches
Display: Black frame
Medium: Watercolor and highlighter
A brightly colored zap gun appears inside an advertisement inspired by vintage comic books and the Ray Gun from Call of Duty Zombies. Surrounded by lightning, bold lettering, and the promise that “It Really Works!!,” the weapon looks like something a child might discover on the back page of a comic and immediately believe could be real.
The zap gun represents the years the artist spent playing video games and surviving endless rounds of zombies. The objective was simple: keep moving, protect your friends, collect better weapons, and survive one more round. Failure was temporary because the game could always begin again. Those memories belong to a period when time felt unlimited and the greatest pressure came from something that could be defeated by turning off the console.
The painting contrasts that freedom with the invisible chains of adulthood. Responsibilities, expectations, work, health, money, and relationships do not arrive in clearly marked waves. There is no mystery box containing the perfect solution, no reset button, and no guarantee that surviving one challenge will make the next one easier.
The highlighter creates an artificial glow around the weapon, making it appear charged with the energy of memory. The surrounding darkness represents the weight of the artist’s present life, while the bright gun remains a small portal to a time that felt safer and easier to understand.
It Really Works!! is both a celebration of gaming nostalgia and an advertisement for an escape that cannot actually be purchased. The zap gun cannot break the chains of the artist’s current life, but remembering the person who once believed in it provides a brief release. The game has changed, the enemies are harder to identify, and there are no extra lives, but part of that younger player continues searching for a way through the next round.