the two small tables in the corner (1 & 2)

20” x 20” Oil on canvas

This diptych is based on a ritual Sean and I return to often: attempting to play double solitaire at one of our favorite coffee shops, even when the only available seating is two impossibly small tables next to each other in the corner.

We carefully lay out the rows — red deck in one painting, blue in the other — negotiating inches of space and balancing cards along the edges. For a brief moment, it feels possible. Then our drinks arrive. Then the food. Slowly, the game collapses under the practical reality of cups, plates, and elbows knocking everything over.

We try to save it. We never can.

This scene has repeated itself more times than I can count, yet we keep trying again anyway. Repainting it became a way of honoring that small, stubborn optimism — the belief that this time the cards might fit and we might be able to finish a game.

Prints and originals available in my shop!