Nocturne

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In recent work, the figure and the domestic environment have begun to enter my painting vocabulary, and there is an interest in conveying emotion and intimate moments. I’ve become interested in exploring the theme of intimacy through the lens of the art movement “intimism” defined by art critic Camille Marcoux as “a revelation of the soul through the things painted, the magnetic suggestion of what lies behind them through the description of the outer appearance, the intimate meaning of the spectacles of life”. Inspired by the series of "Bather" paintings by Pierre Bonnard and the intimism movement in general, this series reclaims the notion of domestic narrative from a male dominated voyeur gaze, to describe the real lived experience of domesticity from the perspective of an artist/ mother contending with all of its inherent duality. Intimate physical moments are depicted in their nuances of claustrophobia, exhaustion as well as transcendent beauty, love and connection. There is a particular focus on the figure of the bather, and the bath as a site of refuge, healing and solace. The intimism movement is notable in its emphasis on texture, an exaggerated palette, and merged figure and ground, utilizing domestic narratives or a focus on the mundane. In this series I make use of these techniques to represent domestic experiences such as bathing, sleeping, nursing, gardening and interior decor, from a first person perspective. In so doing, my work aims to contribute to feminist discourse in contemporary painting, centering a politics of care, and reclamation of non-idealized representations of intimacy, motherhood and interior spaces amidst a male dominated cannon.

Where it's been: Wall Space Gallery