Photos of honeycomb and bees have been layered into a rectangular repeating background.

MADELEINE MCAULEY: “UFO”

by Jessica Suzanne Stokes
A canvas is painted in deep blues and black so thick that the ripples are evident from ambient lighting. The painting has a texture that is weighty and immediately present. In the center of the canvas is a gray flying saucer with a clear dome. From within the dome a green alien is wreathed in multiple shades of red, green, blue, and orange. The alien is laughing, as evidenced by the speech bubbles next to it saying ha ha ha. At the top of the painting is a ribbon that says UFO.

This painting was created by Madeleine McAuley in response to navigating Natalie’s new spasms. Together, they call the spasms UFOs because they joke that it seems like an alien is taking over Natalie’s body. Madeleine said she knew exactly what Natalie needed… And painted a picture of UFOs laughing. And it made Natalie laugh so hard she was on the ground, this time laughing instead of spasming.