RA Summer Exhibition 2018

'Butterflies'

a 40x40cm mixed media work, using oil paint on canvas as well as objects I found on seashores.

It has been pre-selected for the RA Summer Exhibition 2018... Hmm, one down, one more step in the selection process to go!

When I started this work, I set up to depict the influx of feelings about having a baby. During the long process of creating (as I had long gaps before I was truly satisfied with this work), it gained a much wider meaning for me: 'Butterflies in my stomach'' is about all the things that make you feel uneasy, uncertain... From being pregnant, through parenthood -and my own childhood, a parallel. Mistakes I keep making (even on this work, that I decided to keep), to show that I am acknowledging them, as they are part of me, part of my life, no matter what. Worry follows us into adulthood: the uncertainty in me is intertwined with my worries for my own child, I see my concerns mirrored in her... However, registering it, made me utilise my feelings, and in turn, they made me stronger, braver in a way. I became me, and it shapes my bond to my child, helps her become who she is going to be. I am convinced now, that the only certainty in this uncertain world must be in our trust in the ingenuity of our children.