Exhibit A: Victoria Sexton

On my first exploration of the Telfair Art Fair this past November, I had no expectations to leave with any art in hand. Well, to be honest, I had no expectations at all. So I wandered through the tented maze that overtook Telfair Square that sunny Saturday in Savannah, ducking in and out of the numerous nooks occupied by artists from all areas of the country (though Savannah and other parts of the Southeast seemed most prominent).

Eventually, I found myself transfixed by the delightfully disturbing work of Victoria Sexton. Despite the early onset of sensory overload in the midst of a somewhat hectic affair, her Burtonesque clay sculptures called out for attention. Each of the dozen or so thought-provoking pieces on display required rumination. As a writer, both Deadline (pictured below) and Mental Block possessed a disarmingly poetic appeal. In the end, I chose the lesser of two evils: As much as I detest a deadline—that “black bird” teasingly hovering about your head no matter how many times you try to shoo it away—it’s much easier to ignore than a mental block is to overcome. Prominently displayed in my apartment, Deadline now alternates, depending on when I cross its path, as a practical reminder, an inspirational catalyst and an agent of angst.