Bart Wilcox
The Nap
2026, Oil on canvas, 20″ x 16″

The nap, like its cousin, morphine,
allures with fulfillment that
can never be experienced, because
to experience it, one must
be unconscious. The midday is
not a good time to enter the
dream world, closed for maintenance.
One may be refreshed, but never
will be satisfied. And if one is
not a practiced napper like the
dog or of a certain age, it’s not
something to be fooled with.
Its residue is regret, bad hair, and
a craving for more.