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| Wild2,194x130cm,oil on canvas |
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| Again,oil on canvas,35x27cm |
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| No Permitted,oil on canvas,132x116cm |
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| New Start,oil on canvas,164x132cm |
The animals and creatures which appear
throughout my works personify emotions and the most basic instincts, they are
my versions of society’s totems. These are scattered throughout the works
encroaching or resting on exposed, vulnerable human forms, almost exclusively
on female forms, traditionally and stereotypically perceived as the most
vulnerable of all. This is a depiction of the struggle of humanity against
itself and the all too easy pigeon-holing into stereotypes and prejudices
within society. It is a depiction of the sometimes triumphant, as in Destiny,
sometimes doomed as in Fight for Freedom and at other times the static as in
Survivor, not fighting against the current.
One of the first works I produced was
Destiny. It was at that time a work that personified me, carrying the burden of
responsibility and digesting each disappointment as it arose, with each new
step or more aptly with each new stumble. The works are strewn with sarcasm and
black humour paired with unlikely characters and creatures. It is my own inner
derisory commentary. I do not aim to make an intellectual philosophical
commentary in search of a ‘higher truth’, it is simply my words in oil, however
clumsy they may appear at first sight. However, hopefully the clumsiness is
dispelled when one feels the effect of the frying pan hitting and when viewing
my collection as a whole.
Undeniably, there is a feminist undertone,
but the images are an amalgamation of the oppressed and suppressed female form
intertwined with a portrayal of strength, resilience and determination. As with
Luxurious, women’s sexuality is strong and sometimes aggressive as a survival
technique. Unfortunately, this is a technique which is the product of the
socializing effect of the Western cultures, not in the promotion of inner
strength and self-belief but in glamourized almost pornographic perceptions of
womanhood. Women's strength in the mainstream subsists on unequal, gendered
paternalistic foundations. The fickle images as a representation of strength is
undeniably exposed and vulnerable, there for the ‘taking’ as with Beached Whale
and Indoctrination.
