Snake In The Garden
2008 - 11.25"x11.88" Acrylic, colored pencil, charcoal, on wood.
Finished with one coat brush on Liquitex Matte Varnish #5232
(Not For Sale)

January 2008

If you look at the photo below, you can see the faint image of the snake scratched into the wood. Once I recognized that, it was painted in. I added the four M&M trees, then saw the image of the woman. It's very faint, but you can see it in the photo below. It made sense to add the water can and then I added the M&M trees to the left of the woman. I thought about adding a right arm, but decided she looked fine with one arm. The direction of her head is vague, but I think it symbolizes one eye on the snake and the other on the trees.

My wife named the painting. I really liked the name because it fits perfectly with the generic Freud/Jung sexual symbolisms that paintings with snakes and women are assumed to be about.

Here's an alternate theory to consider. I used to have a pet red tailed boa constrictor. She only ate rats, and I wondered if she had any interest in eating something else. I experimented with a variety of foods including McDonalds french fries & M&M's but she had no interest.

The snake in the painting likes M&M's and is curious about the purple M&M. She is smelling it with her tongue. The lady is watering her M&M garden but is aware the snake likes to eat M&M's. This is symbolized by the three M&M trees etched into the snake's body right behind the head (see bottom photo). The M&M trees that have no color aren't ripe yet.