My Artwork Featured in The Handmaid’s Tale - Season 2, Episode 1 (“June”)

One of my paintings appears in Season 2, Episode 1 (“June”) of The Handmaid's Tale, filmed primarily in and around Toronto, where the production often incorporated work from local artists into its set design.

The piece can be seen in a flashback sequence set in June’s family apartment, where she and her family are watching news coverage as events begin to unfold. It’s a brief domestic moment, suspended before everything changes. The painting hangs quietly on the wall in the background, part of the lived-in texture of that world rather than the focus of the scene.

For anyone searching for the artwork from The Handmaid’s Tale Season 2 Episode 1 “June”, this is the piece that appears in that scene.

The episode itself was widely recognized during awards season, contributing to the series’ overall critical acclaim and Emmy recognition, including a 2018 Emmy noination and win in Outstanding Production Design For A Narrative Contemporary Program (One Hour Or More). While this particular artwork was a small and subtle part of the visual environment—and certainly not something that directly impacted the award—it’s still meaningful to know it became part of a production that was honoured in that way, and now exists permanently within that moment of the story.

There’s something interesting about work that ends up in film or television in this way. It stops belonging entirely to the studio or the artist and instead becomes part of a larger visual memory—something briefly lived in by characters who don’t know they’re being watched.

About the Production Context

The Handmaid's Tale is a dystopian drama filmed largely in the Toronto area, known for its meticulous production design and use of local artists and makers to build its environments. The series has received multiple Emmy Awards and nominations across its run, particularly in design, writing, and performance categories.