stories of the flesh.
Hera.
2024, Oil on board, 29.5x22cm.
Pomegranates are such potent symbols in so many cultures and religions. These beautiful fruits mean so much to so many people. This painting is named Hera after the Goddess of marriage and fertility. In Greece pomegranates are smashed at the front door of homes each new year.
Eden.
2024, Oil on board, 29.5x22cm.
Pomegranates are an important symbol in Christianity. They are a symbol of resurrection and life everlasting (particularly relevant during the season of Lent and Easter).
They are also traditionally depicted with Mary and the infant Jesus. This is probably due to the Greek and Roman influence on early Christianity. In Christianity there is a strong resonance with the feminine.
This painting is titled Eden. At various times in Christian history the forbidden fruit was believed to have been a pomegranate. The act of eating from the tree of knowledge is an act of curiosity, leading to self-awareness and a profound knowledge of consequences. It is about responsibility and accountability. I find the "smutty" interpretation is much shallower and less personally challenging than the broader teaching about the foundation of all of human morality and respect for human rights. Once we have learned better, we are compelled to do better.
When holding yourself together is no longer possible, there is honesty and integrity in the letting go.
Duality.
2024, Oil on board, 51.5x80cm.
I sometimes feel there are two versions of me. The whole, well kempt and resilient me. Dignified and professional, ambitious and thick skinned. Rolling over the speedbumps of life gathering nothing more than a few bruises along the way. And then there is this other me. A raw, open and oversharing me, who proudly pours my guts out in a less that dignified manner inviting my audience to participate in these intimate commentaries on life and humanness.
Fruits of her labour
2025, Oil on board, 50x91cm.
Proserpina, from Roman mythology, (or Persephone in the Greek myth) who was abducted by Pluto and then escaped from the underworld is forever caught between two worlds. Because she ate from a pomegranate while in the underworld, she must forever return there for a period each year and her absence from our world is the cause of winter barrenness.
In the song Proserpina by Martha Wainwright, it is during Proserpina’s absence that Ceres/Hera (her mother), punishes the earth in her anguish at being separated from her beloved child.
I hope this painting resonates with parents experiencing shared custody, women who have grieved their child/ren, and women who are caught between two worlds in their work and home lives.