Beneath the Damaged Sky I Sit Surrounded...
‘Beneath the damaged sky I sit surrounded’ is
the collective title for my group of paintings. This theme explores my
connection with the landscape and the importance this plays in my life and my
mental wellbeing. Beneath a sky which may be damaged by human activity, I still
feel at peace and connected with the earth all around me, but it is to the sky
that I look for calm and escape. It is the sky which grounds me. Through paying
attention to the sky observing the way
it constantly changes, this ‘open awareness’ or ‘open-focused attention’ is
restful for the brain giving it a well- earned break from the processing of
thoughts, worries, plans, ‘fight or flight’ stresses and enables my thoughts to
slow and also my breathing. It is so important for our health to stop, take a
pause and notice the natural world around us, to be overcome with awe and
wonder at the beauty of our world, otherwise we will become disconnected from
what really matters, the real world in which we live, and which we must look
after.
The female figure sits resting her body, her feet in the
river and she is surrounded by Nature. She looks serene and at peace. The
landscape is created through recycled textiles, canvas, and tissue paper and
she appears to be sinking into this, the foliage comforting and caressing her
skin, giving her a hug. I often feel this way, as though Nature is holding me,
hugging me, saying, ‘it’s ok, everything will work out just fine’.
The paintings have been created using acrylic on recycled
canvases using recycled textiles and recycled acid free tissue paper.
I paint in many layers blending the colours on the canvas so that something of each layer can be seen through the next. The paint and materials are wrapped around the canvas sides so that there is no need for a frame and the painting can take the viewers focus outwards rather than be contained within the straight edges of a frame.
View my work and the Our Changing Earth Festival and exhibition details at
https://ourchangingearth.co.uk/portfolio_page/beneath-the-damaged-sky-1/
https://ourchangingearth.co.uk/portfolio_page/i-sit-surrounded/
This includes an audio version of my narrative :)