IF I CLOSE MY EYES
This owl sings a song for my sister, who for years was legally blind. It tells the story of courage and bravery, seeing the light even when your eyes are closed. She was given a miracle of corneal grafts, grabbed life with both hands and has gone on to become a top performing musician. Here's to you Michelle, one of my heroes. Acrylic ink on canvas 2018 75 x 90cm SOLD |
I DO NOT HAVE TO SEE YOU TO CARRY YOU IN MY HEART
These antlers, looking like trees, are actually the beautiful, intricate vessels of the heart. They symbolise the connections with the people who are precious to us - we carry them all within us, entwined into the tree branches of our hearts. Acrylic ink on canvas 2018 60 x 120cm |
WINDOWS III
Eyes, windows to the soul. Remove the outer details and still the essence of within remains. With so little information we can still understand so much. As I painted these eyes, I had a sense of both being watched and being the watcher. It made me think of when I meet someone new for the first time. I wonder: are they truly seeing me - and can I truly see them. Watercolour on canvas 2015 50 x 50cm SOLD |
RELEASE
Letting go ... I meditated before starting this painting on things I wanted to let go of in my life, beliefs that no longer served me. I made a list of people and situations I wanted to forgive. This stag is looking into the future, her eyes alive and clear. Her antlers are dissolving; releasing, setting free the old. A painting for new beginnings ... Watercolour on canvas 2015 90 x 120cm SOLD |
OF TENDERNESS AND DETERMINATION
As I painted this stag, memories flooded in of my years as a creative director of multi-media spectaculars. So much determination, my dreams out there painted in light - a young woman in a man’s world. I was far from home, speaking in different languages, the thrill and the stress of the show on my shoulders ... Some days I imagined myself 6 foot tall with a huge moustache. Some days I forgot about, or just couldn't show, the expression of tenderness (Was it a weakness to show it? Or a weakness to not?) Without determination the shows would not have gone on. Without tenderness, the poetry of life was missing. Watercolour on canvas 2015 90 x 120cm SOLD |
SENTIENCE
I painted this Red Kite before going to a big exhibition in Edinburgh, to give me courage. This Red Kite sits on the edge of a cliff, ready to leap into the future. She is calm, clear and confident. She knows who she is. Looking over her shoulder, she beckons me with courage to follow her clear flight into the future. Watercolour on canvas 2015 90 x 150cm |
IT'S WHEN I AM STILL THAT THE IDEAS ALIGHT
Focusing on an idea brings it from the world of imagination, into reality... These owls are about the birth of something new, swooping into life. They are also about asking ourselves which thoughts we choose to focus on; are our thoughts serving us or are we serving them? In my art, I am constantly seeking to hear my clearest voice, to hear my own truly unique thoughts; to choose which ideas I will bring into life. Watercolour on canvas 2015 90 x 150cm SOLD |