The Be Nimble series is all about superstition. I wanted to create something that had a familiar concept to everyone who saw it, but still held a little mystery. I’m sure you know “Jack be nimble, Jack be quick, Jack jumped over the candlestick.” But do you know why Jack jumps over the candlestick?
Back in the day, people would take turns jumping over a candlestick at a wedding ceremonies. Who ever blew out the candle could expect a year of bad luck… So basically, if you had been “celebrating” for a while, chances were that your drunk butt would get burned.
In my painting Jack is dramatically jumping over the candlestick to mock some of the weird superstitions we have in every day life. I know I have quite a few. Things like, knocking on wood or saying bread and avoiding the path of a black cat is just a couple of my superstitious quirks.
What weird superstitions do you have?
