The Golden Age
This painting grew out of my Your Grandmother Was Once a Girl body of work — research that began during my residency in Arraiolos last year.
I was thinking about the women who came before us, and particularly the idea of our grandmothers having entire lives before we ever knew them as “Granny”.
My own Granny stepped into my life even more after my Daddy died in 1991. I kept coming back to that image we can have of the gentle grandmother. The warm, safe woman. The one who fed you, looked after you and had time for you.
But not everyone had that grandmother. And even for those of us who did, that’s still only one tiny part of who she was.
She was once a girl.
She had friendships and disappointments. She fell in love. She was angry. She wanted things. She lost people. She had a body that changed and aged. She had a whole story before we arrived in it.
The Golden Age came from thinking about that softness alongside everything we don’t know.
The lavender, pinks and blues of the base layer feel incredibly gentle to me. Over them are layers and scratches, drawn lines, things covered over and things still visible. And then there’s the 18ct gold — precious, imperfect and catching the light differently every time you pass it.
I think that’s why I love this painting so much. It can be beautiful and gentle without pretending that a life is simple.
The Golden Age
Acrylic and 18ct gold on canvas
120 × 140cm
£4,000
Worldwide shipping available.
The Golden Age
This painting grew out of my Your Grandmother Was Once a Girl body of work — research that began during my residency in Arraiolos last year.
I was thinking about the women who came before us, and particularly the idea of our grandmothers having entire lives before we ever knew them as “Granny”.
My own Granny stepped into my life even more after my Daddy died in 1991. I kept coming back to that image we can have of the gentle grandmother. The warm, safe woman. The one who fed you, looked after you and had time for you.
But not everyone had that grandmother. And even for those of us who did, that’s still only one tiny part of who she was.
She was once a girl.
She had friendships and disappointments. She fell in love. She was angry. She wanted things. She lost people. She had a body that changed and aged. She had a whole story before we arrived in it.
The Golden Age came from thinking about that softness alongside everything we don’t know.
The lavender, pinks and blues of the base layer feel incredibly gentle to me. Over them are layers and scratches, drawn lines, things covered over and things still visible. And then there’s the 18ct gold — precious, imperfect and catching the light differently every time you pass it.
I think that’s why I love this painting so much. It can be beautiful and gentle without pretending that a life is simple.
The Golden Age
Acrylic and 18ct gold on canvas
120 × 140cm
£4,000
Worldwide shipping available.
