A Single Carrot and a Quiet Revolution

The French post-impressionist Paul Cézanne once said,

"The day is coming when a single carrot, freshly observed, will set off a revolution."

That line stopped me in my tracks the first time I read it. In its quiet way, it says everything about what I strive for in my art: to find the extraordinary in the everyday, the sacred in the simple, the meaningful in the moment.

That quote became the seed for my painting Single Carrot, where a horse in a maroon robe and a rabbit in a pink dress sit across from one another, sharing a single carrot with the reverence of a feast. The table is intimate, the mood serene, and there’s something both tender and profound about the scene. Are they old friends? Philosophers? Lovers? Or simply two beings who know how to savor the now?

To me, this painting points to something deeper: the quiet revolution of pure perception. From a Dzogchen view, it’s not about adding more or fixing what’s there. It’s about seeing clearly. When we observe without grasping or judging, when we rest with things as they are, we begin to recognize the perfection already present. Single Carrot isn’t about minimalism or restraint. It’s about the fullness of what is when we truly see.

The rabbit and the horse exist in a world that is both magical and ordinary. They aren’t reaching for more—they are simply resting in the moment. That’s the heart of my Dzogchen practice and the soul of this painting. Presence, not perfectionism. Awareness, not adornment. Being with what arises, just as it is.

In a time of noise and hustle, Single Carrot is my love letter to stillness, observation, and recognition. A carrot becomes a feast. A moment becomes a doorway. And perception itself becomes the revolution.

Thank you for being part of this journey.
As always, it's not just art, it's a conversation.

With warmth,
Roberta Pacino