Despite its monumental scale at almost 15 feet wide, Daisy Parris’ I’d Rather Get No Sleep Next To You Than Sleep Alone, 2022, holds a distinctly warm human intimacy that envelopes the viewer within colorful swathes of emotion. The loose strokes of pigment, ranging from hues of royal blue to a deep burgundy dash across the canvas almost resemble a cluster of wildflowers emerging from a watery terrain. Using emotion as the main driver for their work, the British painter creates ample space for opposing forces to coexist, utilizing the psychological effects of red and pink as simultaneously sweet and gruesome. In the statement for their 2022 exhibition The Warm Glow at James Fuentes in New York, the artist describes their paintings as depicting “all extremes existing together. Blood and guts and the insides of a human, but also the softest, warmest flesh.” ⁱ On the left-most and right-most panels, two cut canvas pieces are attached on top of the ground canvas, as if sutured, with pops of purple and orange oil paint acting as stitches peeking out from underneath. 

In an interview with Emergent, Parris related that they “love working through emotions and solving problems when [they are] creating…even when it's physically and emotionally demanding.” The vast range of depth and texture that the artist creates, from thick impasto application to collage-like elements, reflects the breadth of complex emotions they both draw inspiration from and hope to inspire in others through a connection created across a canvas. 

“The work is about being cradled and held by the things you’re scared of and doing the same for them in return. I’m trying to find some form of peace or beauty in the brutal.”

—Daisy Parris

 ⁱ “DAISY PARRIS: The Warm Glow,” James Fuentes, n.d., online.