Clark, hummingbird stay young with me, 2023

hummingbird stay young with me, 2023

Nicole Clark

Acrylic, spray paint, on canvas. 36x36x1.5"

"hummingbird stay young with me" is part of the ANTI-HERO series

"hummingbird stay young with me" was initially created as part of Nicole's xoxo series in 2023. In 2025, it was featured as part of her ANTI-HERO solo exhibition at Baltimore's E1507 and paired with a short story written by Nicole. The story and painting illustrate the human inclination to hurt those we love most in an effort to avoid the pain of love loss. 

xoxo series: While grieving his late friend, poet Alfred Tennyson penned this about love: “‘Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.” In xoxo paintings, Nicole explores the joy and grief at the junction of love and loss and the tragic obstinance required to avoid heartbreak indefinitely.

The initial series was created between 2019 and 2023, though Nicole anticipates adding artwork to the series indefinitely, given the perpetual relevance of the series' theme in her life and others. The works in the series often serve as a visual journal, documenting the resettling of her romantic and familial love life.