I was born in India and spent my early childhood there. In 2020 I spent six-weeks travelling around India with my two sisters, retracing our childhood. The trip brought back the vibrant colours and magic of India, a country where superstitions and myths are important in everyday life. When I returned to the UK I decided to paint a series of pictures inspired by my journey. The Paintings are based on fragments of my memories, dreams and thoughts. It became difficult to differentiate what were memories and what I had imagined.
Piru, egg tempera on board.
The Flower Seller and her Daughter, egg tempera on board. This painting depicts a flower seller and her daughter that I passed outside a temple in Southern India. In the vibrancy of the colours chosen I wanted to capture the intensity of the heat, smells and noise of that moment – and that sense of magic that India cannot help but make you feel.
The Sweeper, egg tempera on boar. The painting is of a girl in Calcutta and explores ideas of fate, reincarnation and empowerment.
Sacred Tree egg tempera on board. The painting depicts a sacred tree in Madurai, southern India. Women visit the tree to hang a model cot and doll as an offering in the hope they will be blessed with fertility. If a baby is born, the women return to the tree and replace the cot and doll with a strip of cloth torn from their child’s clothes or blanket. In the positioning of the central mother and child I wanted to create a sense of faith, devotion and magic reminiscent of the Madonna and child
Indian Evening egg tempera on board. The painting depicts a scene that re-ignited a childhood memory of villagers returning home as the day draws to a close. A man rests under a tree and the cool evening breeze provides a welcome release from the oppressive heat of the day. The calm of the scene below is interrupted by the tension in the tree above. The air begins to swirl and the agitated monkeys suggest the coming of the monsoon.
Lilies, egg tempera on board
Woman selling vegetables, egg tempera on board