September Is A Chimera

Original abstract painting. Acrylic, gouache and modelling paste on canvas. 100cm x 50cm. 2024. 

Available framed or with professional framing included. The latter will be with an ash wood canvas floater frame, either left as raw wood or painted a complementary shade. Please select 'framed' variant. I will reach out to discuss your framing preferences. 

"The actual pronunciation of ‘chimera’ is ‘kai-meer-uh’, but I’ve always read it as ‘shim-a-ruh’ (or ‘shimmerer’) and that’s how I heard the title in my head initially. I think of August as the closing of the first half of the year and September as new beginning / second New Year. It’s one of my favourite months of the year because I usually go away/slow down in August, reassess my life & make a new plan of action going forward from September." 

"For me the hopefulness I feel at the beginning of the year is the renewed. These hopes are usually big and unrealistic but I don’t think that’s actually a bad thing because it propels you forward and can be corrected in the coming months. Going into the month with the awareness that some expectations/hopes may end up being illusions probably helps, as does the idea of the ‘chimera’ (a mixed beast). As in… there will be new but also some of the old still mixed in and that is natural & nothing to beat yourself up about."

"I also like that a chimera is a composite of different animals. Partly because people have different parts and I feel it speaks to that. But also in the context of September marking a new chapter in the year, it makes sense to me. You’ve accumulated a lot of new skills & experiences in the preceding 8 months and now have the chance to refocus them all towards a common goal. It’s a time of year - for me - when things  usually feel a bit more cohesive and balanced. An alternate title was Phoenix Rising."