This piece came about when i joined Youth Art Connect CIC at their neurodiverse, adult art club. I am specifically interested in joining up with local creative communities that are inclusive and this one matched up perfectly. I also like being in a space where i could make a mess and not worry about it. Plus, i was curious how my art would unfold whilst being amongst other makers.

I started off with a medium-sized, reclaimed square canvas that had a print of Marilyn Monroe on it. I chose that one out of a stash of old charity shop canvases because i liked the symmetrical aspect of working within a square and it was mostly white, so easy to cover. I added some white gesso so that it didnt look porous when i added the paint after. Sometimes printed canvases can take several layers of paint to cover otherwise and i didnt want to waste paint. I was drawn initially to a matt pale olive with an iridescent green yellow, iridescent green blue and cerulean blue. I think this was brought on by the turning of the season into Spring and my walk beside the sea to the workshop. The colours felt eyecatching and fresh.

I then had this urge to paint a windswept flower meadow on the bottom half of the piece, even though i dont do representational work usually. So i went with it. I also knew i wanted to use bright clashing pinks and purples for the flower petals. Once i had done this, the workshop was up and i wasnt happy with what i'd created. I noticed that i felt the pressure of expectation to create representational work, because in a group setting its easy to think youre being judged. Especially as a new person in the group. Whilst chatting to someone there, it came up that its ok to put the work to one side and come back to it or even scrap it altogether. But as you know, i like to paint over reclaimed canvases and will keep painting the same canvas, even if it changes completely (which it usually does!) So i took it home, i set it to the side and then came back to it a few days after and got really in the zone! In the gap of time when i wasnt working directly on the canvas, i played around on my new electronic drawing pad. I created an area of sweeping hues all blended together that reflected the news stories covering the Northern Lights, which had been seen all over the UK, including Cornwall that day. I then thought about how it would look great as a background for a digital print perhaps on a slogan t shirt, tote bag or as a printable. So this is something i will pursue this year and eventually have available on my website.

I took the Northern Lights design and then thought maybe i could recreate it on the canvas i had started at the workshop. It had the perfect flowy shape that i had hoped to add to the top half of the canvas. I also added acrylic ink drip lines amongst the flowers with brush line flicks and dabs. The piece now has the more abstract feel i hoped to make, with a recognizable colour palette inline with my older work. The whole composition reminds me of the Lent series i painted a couple years ago and it is Lent again now. So thats a spooky realisation.

What i noticed when i stepped back from the work to take progress pics was that an eye shape had formed in the centre of the Northern Lights section. It is what i like to call a "happy accident!" But it also adds to the message the artwork was sending me. I feel that the flowers/meadow part represents the expectation to be "normal" in society, whereas, the Northern Lights part is the "alien/outsider" feeling trying to fit the mould. The eye makes me think of being watched over by passed loved ones and the grief of missing them, but also peering into society from the outskirts or simply being stared at for being different and misunderstood. When i realised this piece had all these aspects underpinning it, i realised it was perfectly aligned with the "Neurodiversity" exhibition of which i will be entering my work into on Easter Sunday 2023. This will be at Old Bakery Studios and money raised from sales will be split evenly between the artist and Youth Art Connect CIC to continue their fantastic art clubs. I am thrilled to be part of it!

The next stage, for this piece to feel complete, is to add some silver leaf, as that is my signature way of giving the effect of light and dark in the work. Please follow my instagram and Facebook accounts for updates. Just search "CLT_Abstracts", click "follow" and then drop a comment to let me know what you think. Thankyou!