VIVID TRANQUILITY

In these times of anxiety, uncertainty and conflict I have felt a strong need to focus upon that which inspires tranquility. However, tranquility is not necessarily something that has to be understood as placid, muted or subdued. Rather, in these works, there are scenes of calm, relaxation, respite, serenity and longing that are intensely vivid. A woman becomes colourfully immersed in her patchwork; a man’s hotel room turns shades of blue as he reads. A woman looks out of her window and discovers the brightness of desert sands or a glowing planet. A man opens the curtains to find a wild sea outside. Galleries transform their visitors as they view artworks. The exhibition depicts contentment and yearning for imagined contentment alongside the discovery of vibrant everyday and fanciful delight. The juxtaposition of ‘tranquillity’ and ‘vivid’ brings with it evocative and emotional tension, given presence by physical tactility of texture and dynamic colour. The works within the exhibition include a mix of paintings and block prints.