The artwork is a reflection on a year which has flagged that nature, and globally, our health is under threat, alongside political tensions. I have used my love of my immediate environment particularly trees to inform the work. Composition is an essential part of the narrative with the broken bark as the protagonists. Using palette knives, brushes and at times running my nails through the paint added to the dynamism. The many layers of textures and movement of the limited paint palette were the essential painterly journey from chaos and destruction to order and balance, mirroring the rebirth in the natural world. I have always been fascinated by water. Universally, water invites the notion of life, renewal and transformation.
So “Still We Rise” reflects my hopes, not my fears.