A Splash of Blue

Motherhood has really dominated the last two years of my life and as grateful as I am for my amazing family, I am only now starting to reclaim my identity back. That sounds really bleak - but in a way it’s true because you are always giving as a mum. You give everything to your child, to your family, to the home, to everyone else and then suddenly you find yourself a little lost. There are parts of myself I've lost forever, parts that I’m finding again and then there are new things I am learning everyday (which is exciting). There are many challenges as a mum but I’m enjoying finding myself again, getting my body back after pregnancy and breastfeeding. Putting on baby weight and trying to lose it has been a struggle for me. It’s emotional and upsetting to not recognise myself or feel uncomfortable in my own skin. Slowly I’m learning to be content with my ‘mum’ body and to live in all of these beautiful moments.

A big challenge in the last couple of years has been questioning my purpose and more specifically my purpose as an artist. I think generally we all can question this at times. For the last decade my sole purpose felt like it was to be an artist and I was defined by my sales, galleries, followers on social media and customers. The support from my incredible clients has been what kept me going and I remember on maternity leave worrying, will I be forgotten? I was worried about who I would become and whether I would lose that part of myself. But if anything, I feel stronger in my own identity, I feel like I am thriving in so many facets of my life. Time is precious and the moments I get to spend in the studio are sacred. As my time is limited I work so hard on those days, pushing myself to be better, improving my technique, strengthening concepts, products design and building the love for my craft. It is evident that motherhood is shaping my work - whether I like it or not!

In many ways a door has shut and another opened. I am realising that life keeps changing, evolving, and our choices and decisions slowly shape that path. Maybe travelling isn’t really about the destination after all but rather the journey. I’ve been fascinated by ancient Greek and Roman Gods lately and the one that stood out was Roman God, Janus. He was the God of gates and doors, some even believed he was the God of all beginnings. These were metaphorical doors; the gateway between what was and what is to come - transitioning from one period of time to another. This feels like quite an abstract concept but highly relevant to my subject matter in the evolution of my practice. There are many ways to interpret Janus and he was represented in various ways including life/death, beginning/end, war/peace... Hence his iconic image of two half faces, facing away from one another. One faced the past and the other faced the future. He was also said to have held a key in one hand to symbolise the protection of doors, gates and other separations and openings. The key also symbolised that a traveller has come to find safe harbor. There are many translations and symbols for God Janus but what intrigued me was how relevant he felt to me in the cross roads of my life. He has provided me with an alternate interpretation and all of a sudden new door has opened for me.

My new body etchings explore memories and romanticised dreams, yearning yet building, constructing, a path to alternate perspectives. I think because I don’t travel or do artist residencies as frequently due of family, life commitments etc. I am seeing things through a new lens. Do we need to be somewhere else to see something with our eyes? There is nothing wrong with dreaming, imagining and going on adventures - just in your mind. Inspired by words of Fernando Pessoa (The Book of Disquiet),

“I’ve dreamed a lot. I’m tired now from dreaming but not tired of dreaming. No one tires of dreaming, because to dream is to forget, and forgetting does not weigh on us, it is a dreamless sleep throughout which we remain awake. In dreams I have achieved everything.”

I fell in love with Pessoa and his deeply nostalgic words when I did an artist residency in Lisbon a few years ago. I resonate with his thoughts, his deep commitment to poetry, regardless of its melancholic tone. In homage to dreams, I’ve incorporated ethereal colours into my latest work - using ultramarine blue hues, silver leaf, purple and hints of pink. I felt rather brave dabbling with this new colour palette, letting go of my classic red and gold tones. But these colours, particularly the blue, put emphasis on certain elements and objects, exploring imagination and emphasising playfulness and romanticism. Using a hint of black, I've carefully managed to dull these colours so they aren’t too bright or detracting from the overall etching. In my upcoming exhibition ‘Architect of Dreams’ there will be quite a few new pieces that evoke memories, dreams, doors and the spaces in between. I hope you’ll enjoy these works and come on this new adventure with me.

SOLO EXHIBITION DETAILS

My upcoming exhibition ‘Architect of Dreams’ will be at Madeline Gordon Gallery, Launceston (TAS). This exhibition opens on the 10th of May (Friday evening). Exhibition runs from the 6th of May until the 1st of June, 2024.

Thank you so much for reading my latest blog post! It’s been a big milestone for me as I explore a new colour palette and introduce new themes into my practice.

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Kate xx