Green Dress

The work in this series is intended to create discussion: historical and social exclusion/restriction,and stereotyping themes of girlhood are referenced. As a feminist, but specifically as a woman visual artist in a very long history of women artists, I want to reclaim our integrity through paint.

The “hair drawings” in this series touched on loss. Hair is deeply bound up with identity, class and beauty and by default ‘pain’. This is an area that fascinates me, so this work is ongoing. In itself the colour ‘green’ is full of differing meanings which can be explored as well.

A series of drawings and oils of ‘Firmly rooted females’, embedded in the natural world is now emerging, with work in 2019-20 growing around blurring female identity with nature, and specifically trees. What is flesh, bark, bones, branches – so much I observe I read as human form.

I started work on ‘Remarkable Trees’ with intuitive pastel drawings; not getting bogged down by final outcome and finished pieces, and this provides a great freedom. This method of working is essential to producing exciting work.