Turning the Tide - resilient women
Turning the Tide
Women are holders of many things.
They can make the tides turn in the world.
Or turn of the tide of our time.
Turning the Tide, mixed media and oil on gallery wrapped canvas, 40" x 30" presently at the NZ Academy of Fine Arts. Women can make the tides turn in our world or turn the tide of our time. This picture is one of a series. depicting women connected with water and resisting or impacting turbulence. The woman is connected to the fish through colour and through presence. The fish are also a Christian symbol for Christ and redemption. We are in very challenging times and through love, nurturance, resilience and truth, we can make a difference if we put our minds to it and turn some tides that need to be turned.
SOLD: Stuff You Hamlet - Ophelia Rises, mixed media and oil on gallery wrapped canvas, 40"x30" This is a painting inspired by “Orphelia” by John Millais. I grew up in Birmingham where there was a permanent collection of Pre-Raphaelite paintings in the Birmingham Art Gallery. However, I have always been bothered by Ophelia giving up and dying when scorned by Hamlet who also murdered her father. My Ophelia is not going to lie down and die, she is up, and she’s on her way. The future may be dark and uncertain but she’s confidently striding ahead. She holds daisies, the symbol of new beginnings and leaves behind a poppy, a symbol of death. Stuff You Hamlet.
"Alchemist" mixed media and oil on gallery wrapped canvas, 30" x 20," $550 - presently at the Ruapehu Art Award
The Knowledge of Good and Evil, mixed media and oil on gallery wrapped canvas, 40"x30" $950. From the series Turning the Tide: In the Garden of Eden, Eve ate of the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. As a result she (and Adam who followed her lead) were banished and destined to give birth in pain and labour (not Adam) and toil on the land for food.
SOLD - "The Eye of the Storm" mixed media and oil on gallery wrapped canvas, 40" x 30," $1,240
SOLD - "Minerva's Owl," mixed media and oil on canvas, 30" x 20," “The owl of Minerva takes its flight only when the shades of night are gathering” (Hegel). This quote suggests that wisdom comes with age and experience. In my painting, I challenge this notion by depicting a young woman who welcomes the owl—a symbol of wisdom—onto her hand. The background is crafted using layers of spray paint, inks, and acrylics, creating a dynamic tapestry that reveals different forms depending on the viewer's angle. In the foreground, collaged feathers and snippets of text intertwine in a chaotic harmony, while the girl reaches out to the owl, bridging the gap between innocence and wisdom. The final layers of the artwork are completed with oil paint, uniting the elements into a cohesive vision. As previous generations have struggled to care for our planet, today’s youth face significant challenges. My hope is that they find wisdom to navigate this complex world.
"The Past," charcoal, spray paint and acrylic pen on paper, 30" x 22," $250
"Inspiration," mixed media and oil on gallery wrapped canvas, 40" x 30," $720. The dove, is a symbol of the inspiration and guidance of the Holy Spirit.
"Naked" - mied media and oil on gallery wrapped canvas, 30"x30" $900 - presently at the NZ Academy of Fine Arts. The darkness of the swimming pool from Marilyn Monroe's final, controversial film "Something's Gotta Give," powerfully symbolizes the profound uncertainties surrounding her life and tragic death. The ripples hint at hidden truths, unspoken narratives, and hidden turbulence. Just as the water conceals, so did her public persona, giving little away behind her iconic image. The abstraction and looseness of the water contracts with the stylised and smoothed portrait and both are symbolic of the hidden truths behind the faces we show and the nakedness we hide.
"Ascension," mixed media and oil on gallery wrapped canvas, 40" x 30," $650
"I Hide my Heart" oil on gallery wrapped canvas, 24x18". The woman in the background of this picture is a conceptual reproduction of the woman bathing in the background of Manet's "Le Dejeuner sur l'herbe." The foreground woman in Manet's painting looks confidently at the viewer yet she is naked in a clothed setting and therefore vulnerable. There are times in life of great vulnerability where one hides one's heart and this picture explores hiding one's heart.