The waters will run clear again

Historically across cultures, the enigmatic presence of water in formal gardens has provided spectacle, symbolism and solace.

During the lockdown in 2020 I began reflecting on the vital role that water plays in the design of formal gardens from the paradise gardens I had visited in Granada, Spain where the hypnotic, still pools reflect the heavens above to the theatrical German Baroque cascades. My studio explorations with paint and pastel began highlighting the water garden’s potential to provoke wonder and intrigue and offer space for sanctuary and introspection. With its ability to nourish all of our senses, arguably we were then craving the restorative properties of water gardens more than ever, wherever we were.

I became intrigued by the fluidity of pigment and how transparency and opacity could be explored to reflect animated water in contrast with solid, gilded sculptural forms and the visual tensions that they created when placed together in an image. Nature versus culture.

The waters flowing in these paintings and drawings do not run clear or freely. What is usually light becomes dark, colours inverted, suggesting toxicity and pollution. These enigmatic spaces exist at the mercy of their guardians and keepers as nature strives to grow free from the constraints of man, shaping and taming the environment.

The work was exhibited in June 2021 at The Muse Gallery, Portobello Road, London in an all female group exhibition ‘Encounters’ with Claudia Boese, Mary Romer and Gosia Lapsa-Malawska.

 Study I for The waters will run clear again pastel on paper 2021 42cm x 60cm