LOVER GIRL

Height (cm): 50

Width (cm): 100

Depth (cm): 2

Materials: Acrylic, gouache, glitter glue, fabric ink

Date Completed: October 2024

"An intuitive abstract on canvas. Figurative elements are incorporated, including a flower shedding its petals, a sun, an anatomical heart & series of fish in a loop. The latter represents the circle of life (fish as food chain) as well as evolution (fish as life stages). Both speak to the messy process of growing into one's self. ‘Old’ versions must be shed/consumed in order for ‘new’ ones to surface - but Benjamin Button style... Getting back to one’s earliest ‘soul’ self by dissolving protective mechanisms learned as a child, teen & adult."

"At my & arguably everyone’s core is a part longing to give, receive & see love. The gold heart in the painting’s centre represents this. The work was painted over many months & completed in October. The canvas initially housed a scene titled Eve at the Beach, with multiple Eves engaged in leisure activities beside water. I was imagining an alternate life, void of Original Sin & constant expectation of punishment. A world where I don't punish myself for the love I feel, or how I express that."