Unfathomable

The anxiety surrounding Covid 19 and the threat that hangs above all our shoulders continues to cause anxiety and fear. The lack of good governance and the cavalier attitude of governments doesn’t instil confidence and trust.
Born out of the feeling of helplessness and the sense of drowning, lack of control and helplessness, the parallels with drowning are ever constant in my mind.

Drowning – Not Drowning


Originally I painted a small painting ( I thought ) of a drowning woman. On second inspection the clothes and arms and water movement indicated she was not drowning at all, she was surviving , or drowning but on the up. This prompted me to want to paint a drowing figure to balance the ying and yang.

Drowning

I could imagine what I wanted to paint but needed a visual aid to solidify the detail. An amazing photographer Elena Kalis from the Bahamas came to my rescue. She has an extensive portfolio of beautiful photographs, on the web, with somewhat were more quirky and dark. These appealed to me and provided the inspiration I needed. I contacted her for permission to reference her work. She got back to me and was delighted I wanted to develop my painting ideas from her photography.

Unfathomable – Not Drowning?

This final painting is ambiguous as to wether the figure is drowning or not, I feel she is not , but who knows, it’s like her life hangs in the balance. Like so many of us shielding, staying safe, taking every precaution to keep well and behave responsibly to keep others well. But for how long? Will the attention to detail slide? Craving companionship, human contact and touch will our guard slip?