In this continued period of solitude and reflection, I’ve been thinking about, on the one hand, the ocean and, on the other, swimming pools. I spend a lot of time with both my young daughters at the sea and in swimming pools; and both are competitive pool and open water swimmers.
I say spend, but of course the pools have been closed since mid March and, until recent weeks, no-one was allowed to go into the sea. There are no competitions in either still or open water. However, we’re really grateful that we can now go into the sea to swim, and to surf or paddle, and are looking forward to the pools possibly opening next month. We’ll take this time of no competitions to get back to basics and just enjoy being in the water again.
My recent series Swimming Pools and Salt Lines is based upon these water experiences and the differing chemicals present in salt and pool water and their effect on the human body and emotions. Male and female symbolism are present. The upward symbol of the male (a rusty projection) in the ocean paintings reflects the expectations of males to be stronger, more assertive and bold. The downward symbol of the female (in the form of a pool flag) in the pool paintings reflects the expectations of females to be more passive and accepting.
This series typifies my ‘hard edged’, geometric style and use of bold colours. There are strong geometric shapes in the form of triangles that the eye is drawn to – counterbalanced by bold colours and textures elsewhere. There is a strong melding of natural elements with the man made.
I hope you enjoy them.
