In Recipe for Survival, Casey Gray uses spray paint to reimagine the vanitas and sporting still life's that rose to prominence in the seventeenth century. Often juxtaposing emblems of death with luxurious objects, such images underscored the transience of material pleasure. While descended from these traditions, Gray’s painting is a contemporary meditation on self-reliance in the twenty-first century.

This “recipe” calls for a large selection of everyday objects that symbolize the theme of survival in the year 2020. In addition to essential items such as firewood, a hatchet, and a skillet, other objects refer to art, beauty, and nature, implying that in order to survive these challenging times, we also require artistic and spiritual nourishment.