Face Paint

Watercolour and gouache on canvas, 105 × 130 cm.

£2400

This painting is based on a childhood memory of wearing face paint on holiday, then being upset and smudging half and later posing for a photo. It’s nostalgic of the photograph and seeped in conflicting memories of holidays not being quite what you’d hoped for, but also your normal and safe place. The reality of family feuds, getting lost and feeling small, held together by long days on the beach, make believe worlds and new friends.

The girl in the picture appears frightened or alarmed but also comfortably hidden amongst her own thoughts. Childhood memories and our internal dialogue being key themes.