7×5” Mixed Media on Paper
"Pale Blue Scythe" by Chile Thomas
This is a powerful mixed-media work combining watercolor, acrylic, ink, and collage elements, with a rawer, more confrontational energy
Central Figure
A human figure seen from behind, mid-swing with a large scythe. They wear:
A pink/red cap marked with a cross
A heavily collaged jacket layered with imagery — maps, patterns, textures, and text fragments
Prominently visible on the back: the words "stealing demanded" on what appears to be a torn newsprint or magazine label
Dark trousers with blue and earth tones
The figure's exposed skin is rendered in warm brown tones
The Tree / Target
The scythe strikes a massive, haystack rendered in fierce oranges and golds, suggesting:
Active destruction or harvesting
Embedded within the flames/wood is a Confederate flag motif — stars and bars visible — a charged political symbol
Despite the destruction, small flowering plants bloom from the top and scattered around the base — purple and pink blossoms persisting amid the devastation
Themes
This piece feels like a pointed commentary on American history and land theft — "stealing demanded" paired with the Confederate flag embedded in burning wood speaks to cycles of violent extraction. Yet the flowers blooming through destruction suggest resilience and renewal.
The pale blue sky above keeps a strange, calm distance from the violence below.
