Responding to the areas of countryside I live in and visit. Beauty everywhere when we take time to look up.

sky-scapes

The paintings in this series are all about exploring and being fascinated with the effects of using oil glazes; layers built up and removed or reduced by brush or rag, to reveal pops of colour in the effort to create depth in the composition.

I seem to return time and time again to flight. Maybe it began to manifest with these 3 works which were done in remembrance of a much loved studio companion, Sarah, who was a real artist from head to toe and lived with every part of being in oil paint. They represent her skipping through life and final flight. She loved soaring with the birds.

On a broader level, the work is an interpretation on our life’s journey. Our fallibility to fall, and our potential to rise above ourselves and literally fly.

I have always envied that ability of our feathered friends to fly, to circle, to soar: to so easily change their perspective of the world, take it all in, and grasp it. I want to give visual comment on my world, and whilst being firmly attached to the ground I sometimes think my perspective is limited; maybe that urges me to paint women airborne- trying to understand. I love the dichotomy “are they flying or falling”, which stage are they in and if falling will they recover their wings and soar?

In the early Spring of 2020 I, like many, was drawn to an appreciation of the small things in Nature. These pieces are an exploration of my relationship with the world just outside my door. In some of these lockdown paintings I used as initial inspiration flowers from the garden and fields around me. I gave myself time to delve into their meanings and history of uses as remedies in medicine, which was fascinating.

They stand at a very unusual period a set of still lives come self portraits.

I seem to return time and time again to flight. On deeper reflection this series is my interpretation on life’s journey. our fallibility – to fall, and our potential to rise above ourselves and literally fly.

I have always envied that ability of our feathered friends to fly, to circle, to soar: to so easily change their perspective of the world, take it all in, and grasp it. I want to give visual comment on my world, and whilst being firmly attached to the ground I sometimes think my perspective is limited; maybe that urges me to paint women airborne- trying to understand. I love the dichotomy “are they flying or falling”, which stage are they in and if falling will they recover their wings and soar?

The story of Icarus flying too close to the sun has always fascinated me and will continue to be explored. The saying “If you don’t try you’ll never know” captures the essence of this intrepid/ fool hardy endeavour – that is the story of our lives isn’t it?

The piece Icarus’ mother kept challenging me and originated as a night vision. Clearly it isn’t now after reworking. I was intrigued by the mother’s reaction to Icarus’s plight, and have played with this theme on and off over the years. Flying female forms that aren’t angels are recurring subjects in my body of work.