Now and Then

Description

This mid-sized oil painting on canvas, called Now and Then, is part of a series of works called Time Lines that was done from 2019-2021. The image was inspired by a stylized female figure from European Neolithic art and culture, thousands of years ago. Neolithic art was focused on female fertility and the regenerative power of the earth, a concept that is alien to patriarchal societies. I was most interested in the European Neolithic era because it would have been the birthplace of my ancient forebears. I was intrigued by the ideas of Marija Grimbutas , a Lithuanian archaeologist and anthropologist, known for her research into the Neolithic cultures of “Old Europe”.

Some of the works in this series, such as this one, were a visual exploration of images of women in pre-history. For more about this aspect of the series, please visit my May 2020 blog.

The works in this series are experiments with form; using techniques that draw attention to the process and materials used in creating them and are not part of the realist tradition. I seek to negotiate a middle path between aesthetic appeal and sterile abstraction; between the grip of the past and newness for its own sake. So while my current work has a conceptual motivation, I also want to communicate the joy of colours, lines and forms depicted in oil paint – to communicate at a visceral rather than an intellectual level.

No frame is needed for this painting & it is ready to hang.