- Laura Mead
- All Artworks
- The Puppeteer
Original artwork description
The Puppeteer explores the strange burden of carrying the parts of ourselves that never had the chance to grow.
A child stands isolated within a protective helmet, holding the strings of a limp figure resting in her arms. The puppet is not a toy but a fragment of self — silent, vulnerable, and suspended between care and control. While the child appears to guide it, the relationship is more complex: she is both its guardian and its prisoner.
The helmet represents survival — the emotional armour built to endure experiences too heavy for a child to understand. It protects, but it also separates. Behind the oversized eyes is a quiet vigilance, a watchfulness born from learning that safety must be created rather than expected.
Set against an intense red field, the work exists in a space between tenderness and discomfort. The colour suggests life, danger, memory, and emotional urgency, while the figures remain suspended in stillness. The child’s grip is gentle yet inescapable, reflecting the exhausting responsibility of carrying old wounds while continuing to move forward.
This painting is about the parts of ourselves we keep alive long after they have stopped speaking. It asks whether healing means letting go of the strings—or finally acknowledging the weight of holding them.
Details:
- Oil painting on Canvas
- One of a kind artwork
- Size: 76 x 90 x 4cm
- Ready to hang
- Signed on the back
- Style: Surrealistic
- Subject: People and portraits
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Original artwork description
The Puppeteer explores the strange burden of carrying the parts of ourselves that never had the chance to grow.
A child stands isolated within a protective helmet, holding the strings of a limp figure resting in her arms. The puppet is not a toy but a fragment of self — silent, vulnerable, and suspended between care and control. While the child appears to guide it, the relationship is more complex: she is both its guardian and its prisoner.
The helmet represents survival — the emotional armour built to endure experiences too heavy for a child to understand. It protects, but it also separates. Behind the oversized eyes is a quiet vigilance, a watchfulness born from learning that safety must be created rather than expected.
Set against an intense red field, the work exists in a space between tenderness and discomfort. The colour suggests life, danger, memory, and emotional urgency, while the figures remain suspended in stillness. The child’s grip is gentle yet inescapable, reflecting the exhausting responsibility of carrying old wounds while continuing to move forward.
This painting is about the parts of ourselves we keep alive long after they have stopped speaking. It asks whether healing means letting go of the strings—or finally acknowledging the weight of holding them.
Details:
- Oil painting on Canvas
- One of a kind artwork
- Size: 76 x 90 x 4cm
- Ready to hang
- Signed on the back
- Style: Surrealistic
- Subject: People and portraits
