This pastel painting will be included in the upcoming book titled "The Modern Vanitas" and will feature many pieces from a variety of mediums and styles by numerous artists. The essential elements of a Vanitas painting are illustrated in “All That Glitters” by the stages birth, life and the inevitable departure into death. The Calla Lily flowers, which are associated with a funeral, exist in this piece with no vessel that contains water to support their lives. The first flower gazes upon its own reflection admiring its beauty and seems almost above it all, however, this also serves as a portal into another dimension so perhaps this is not only a reflection but a glimpse into its own soul as it appears in spirit form offering up a warning to begin a life which is grounded in humility rather then excess and superficial pursuits. The second Lily has resigned itself to its fate and is laid out on a silk death bed as it reflects upon the life that was lived and the choices that were made to surround itself with jewels and material goods rather then look inward to find deeper fulfillment. The third Lily has collapsed under the weight of these shallow ideals and is being crushed down by the pearls of wisdom that it ignored during the span of its life and has no choice but to surrender its vanity to decay. The string of pearls that glitter with the colors and experiences that surrounds them pass behind hour glass which has run out of time as they emerge from their jewelry box, which also serves as a coffin for the three souls that ignored the signs and pushed ahead with hedonistic extremes rather then measured and balanced choices.
