Aly Parrott, Art in Public Places

Saratoga Springs Public Library

49 Henry St, Saratoga Springs, NY

May 1st-30th, 2025

Artist Statement 

My multimedia work uses watercolor, gouache, wool fibers and thread to create evocative fantasy worlds, where titans walk among mortals, and where the primordial elements are personified. These worlds are meant to captivate and invite the viewer on an adventure through the space and time of my imagined worlds. My imagery of gods, monsters, and celestial forms is inspired by a deep, lifelong fascination with ancient Greco-Roman mythology, as well as contemporary and historical fantasy storytellers.

 The process begins with a wash of watercolor. Sometimes the hues are intentionally chosen to help me understand a specific concept or idea, other times the process itself—how colors interact, how water pulls the pigments over the paper—is the genesis of the idea. Then, I slowly refine and focus the idea, searching for the best places to put figures, animals, architecture, and natural elements. The fine details come next, and invite viewers to get lost in precious and intimate details.

 These fantasy worlds are a humble contribution to a lexicon of fantasy storytelling that has spanned human existence from the time of sitting around fires whispering about strange encounters on the road, to a spirited game of Dungeons and Dragons played with friends on a Friday night. Storytelling remains essential, even in times of great strife and pain in the world, as it allows us to escape, to build community with one another, and to give us new avenues to understanding what it means to be human.