‘SOLUS’

Studio Release — July 31

SOLUS
July 31 — Concept

  • My latest collection — ‘SOLUS’ challenges the thought process behind my last series (which explored physical awareness with regard to the company we keep.) This collection digs inward — think solitude, being in one’s own company, (even if not physically so,) and the sensation of being aware of the physical space we take up.

    It feels a bit cliche to remark on how navigating a new country ‘made me feel small.’ In that same breath, I thought of solitude and the way I was experiencing it. That’s not to say I wasn’t in lovely company — I think time spent off one’s own home soil intrinsically invites a longing for self-connection with respect to a new territory and way of living.

  • When I say ‘alone’, I’m not looking to convey loneliness. This collection isn’t comprised of solitary figures. Expect to see a slew of figures with a likeness to one another — suggestions of ‘being in one’s own company,’ and groupings of figures where maybe company is felt viscerally, but each has a distinct identity and disposition. In the making of this collection, I considered Edward Hopper’s “Automat” and “Nighthawks” — one depicts a solitary woman hypnotized by her own thoughts, and the other shows a seemingly lonely few folks sitting at a bar in the city. While Hopper’s work is moodier in tone, my newest collection shares a similar sentiment regarding meditative self-connection and being with oneself.

Drawing heavily from time spent in the quiet countryside of Fife, Scotland and on the vibrant streets of London — I’m aiming to give these paintings the output they’ve earned from all that I absorbed overseas. Seven rolls of film has left me with a bevy of inspiration to revisit and iconography that stuck with me the most: bright countryside palettes, native wildflowers and plants, livestock, English Breakfasts, English Gardens, snails, art, thoughtful and old architecture…I’m hoping that I do these beautiful and very different cities justice through my visual representation and that this collection encourages you to consider the comfort you find in your own company.

References
Scotland and London — on film