2023: My year in books
Acrylic paint on mountboard
“Reading is my escape from reality. Books are like doors to other worlds. In 2023 I read 70 books. I’ve painted an image of a door containing the spines of all the books I read in 2023. The lintel around the door includes quotes from some of those books. I was inspired by the size, bright colours and use of text in Grayson Perry’s work and created this piece in response.”
Not all warriors carry spears
Paper mache pot
“I was inspired by the pots in the Grayson Perry exhibition and wanted to use paper maché, so that I could collage text and images on to my pot. Ancient Greek pots sometimes depict warriors, I played with this idea and painted figures in yoga ‘warrior’ poses onto my pot, which also features a figure in a tree pose. I wanted to challenge the idea that being strong means being aggressive and instead to show and celebrate, the quiet strength needed to get through everyday life. Yoga is an important coping strategy in my life. My pot also includes a monoprint of an elephant, which represents me caring for my mum who has dementia and the burden of being the one who remembers things. My pot is brightly coloured and includes positive quotes. I wanted to create a piece which is playful and joyful.”
