The American Dream
In The American Dream, Troy Hul Arnold reimagines the contours of domestic aspiration through the lens of his relationship with life partner Elise Mascia. Inspired by their annual road trips—rituals that began during the COVID-19 lockdown as a means of escaping the chaos of New York City—the painting captures a shared moment of stillness and reflection in the rural landscapes of New Hampshire and Vermont.

Rather than invoking conventional symbols of the American ideal—white picket fences, golden retrievers, and gendered domestic roles—Arnold offers a quieter, more radical vision of intimacy and freedom. In this rendering of the American dream, partnership is defined by mutual respect, emotional equity, and the ability to shape one’s life outside of prescribed norms. Elise is neither confined to the kitchen nor reduced to domestic archetypes; the painting resists nostalgia for outdated ideals and instead embraces a future rooted in self-determined values.

The American Dream becomes, in Arnold’s hands, both a personal declaration and a broader cultural interrogation. It asks: what does it mean to build a life together in today’s world—and whose dreams are we really living?