Do You Want The House Or The Feeling?

Acrylic on High Quality Birch 
Professionally Framed in Oak Float Frame 
63 x 83 x 5cm 
This work explores aspiration, property culture, and the addictive yet mildly depressing pastime of browsing realestate.com.au for homes we will never financially recover from. These houses are sold to us as more than architecture they become symbols of success, security, freedom, and emotional stability.
That’s the feeling: the emotional fantasy attached to aspirational living. The belief that the right house might finally make us feel calm, successful, admired, safe, fulfilled, or somehow complete. 
The work questions whether we truly desire the object itself, or the imagined version of ourselves we believe comes with it.
The deep storm blue background introduces a sense of psychological tension beneath the polished exterior. While the home appears calm and controlled, the darkened sky and moody pool reflection hint at the anxiety, pressure, and emotional weight often sitting underneath modern ideas of success and home ownership.
Set against the backdrop of rising property prices and endless financial pressure, the piece reflects the strange optimism required to believe hard work alone might still get you here.