New works, new contemplations: some thoughts behind my new body of work…
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Iris Germanica, 2012 Oil on Linen, 137 x 152 cm
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Rembrandt showed me that the play of light against the darkness is a sense of truth. It showed me the way we experience feeling; and about mood, drama and the illumination of human emotions.
When I met a woman who had suffered the traumatic loss of her vulva to cancer, I was stunned with her story and inspired by her mission to raise awareness on gynaecological and womens health. I knew of the terminology of parts down there and was aware of the women who, before me, fought so hard in the heroic years of feminism to encourage women to learn about their own bodies. It seems that little has changed.
Moving from Rembrandts touch I was determined to illuminate and make aware a feminine point of the wonder of womens bodies. This new body of work is an affirmation of feminine beauty. It draws references to the natural world and asks the question, can we not appreciate the beauty of the female body the way we appreciate that of nature?
My aim is to evoke the shared, intimate and universal experiences of what it is to be human. These paintings give up their pleasures gradually, requiring many viewings, and allowing the abstract presence to emerge.
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(Click here to see images of the new works. Some of this new series of paintings will be featured at my next exhibition at Gaffer Gallery, Hong Kong. Opening and artist talk on 19th May, 2012.)