A visual mediation on the ordinary.
Still life series - Painting in March 2020 during COVID19 Lockdown.
In preparation for my upcoming show entitled ‘Musings’ at SIDE GALLERY (which would have opened two weeks ago), the Covid19 global crisis paused everything. All of us had to rethink just about everything that we take for granted.
I found myself compelled to make art reflecting on this global happening. Beginning with painting a toilet roll, I produced a collection of solitary objects painted in realism, while putting the planned colour soundscapes for ‘Musings’ on hold.
I’ve called this series ‘Isolating the Ordinary’ and are a symbolic reflection on the concept of isolation. The images are mostly of ordinary consumer products, intended to amplify them from the everyday. In contrast to my saturated colour palette, I’ve painted these small 30x30cm subjects in chromatic, and almost monochromatic greys. A deliberate palette of simple earthy tones only.
At first it was about painting subjects like toilet paper and Panadol, as a kind of Duchamp/Dada parody by calling the Toilet roll ‘Limited Edition’. I found myself thinking of all the products which were in short supply from panic buying. I wanted to create a significance to these objects that are traditionally not aesthetic in any way, in an attempt to make them more noticeable. Each day I think of more ‘isolated subjects’ to paint, so this may continue over this whole time during lockdown.
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