Elemental
I have been working on this collection of paintings in response to my ongoing recovery from Long Covid. It is inspired by the simple word “Breathe”, and what that has meant to me during the course of the Covid pandemic. During my initial Covid infection, which happened right at the beginning of the pandemic, in March 2020, I found it very difficult to breathe. During my recovery from Long Covid, it has been important for me to relearn how to breathe correctly. At the same time, I’ve been using mindfulness and breath as a way to calm body and mind, which has helped my recovery.
The abstract acrylic landscape paintings that form this collection are based upon photographs that I have taken during walks in Gloucestershire and Derbyshire. Incorporated in each one of these paintings is an element that represents the Morse code for the word “breathe”. In some of the works, this takes the form of a series of painted dots and dashes, while in others, there is a long horizontal line across the painting, across which are groups of long and short vertical lines, where the short lines represent dots and the long lines represent dashes. The line of Morse code also works as a line of reflection within these paintings where the image is reflected either above or below that line. This line of reflection alludes to the idea of looking at the world around us from a different point of view, to try out new perspectives. Lockdown brought with it a real appreciation of the benefit of spending time in green space.
Getting out into nature provides me with a real boost to my mental health. "Breathe" is not just a prompt to spend time breathing in fresh air, but also to stop and appreciate the sights, sounds and smells of the natural world.
Breathe - Hemp Agrimony
Acrylic on stretched canvas
30cm x 24cm
£75
Breathe – Hemp Agrimony is a small landscape-orientation abstract acrylic painting of a wildflower meadow.
Breathe - Blue Sky
Acrylic on stretched canvas
50cm x 40cm
£200
Breathe – Blue Sky shows an abstract sky with banks of fine clouds moving across it.
Breathe - Sunset
Mixed media – acrylic and texture paste on stretched canvas
50cm x 40cm
£200
Breathe – Sunset is an abstract sunset, The texture conveys the movement of the changing light at sunset as well as clouds drifting across the sky.
Breathe - Twilight
Mixed media – acrylic and texture paste on stretched canvas
50cm x 40cm
£200
Breathe – Twilight shows an abstract sky at twilight, The lines of texture convey the movement of clouds drifting across the sky.
Breathe - Summer Meadow
Acrylic on stretched canvas
80cm x 60cm
£300
Breathe – Summer Meadow shows an abstract wildflower meadow.
Inhale / Exhale
Mixed media – acrylic, sand gel and texture paste – on stretched canvas
80cm x 60cm
£300
Inhale / Exhale is an abstract painting of a beach, sea, and wooden breakwaters. Within the painting, the textured wooden breakwaters have long and short vertical lines coming from them, which spell out “inhale” and “exhale” in Morse code.