21 August – 13 September 2020 Gallery 2

"The common thread that influences all my creative work is ‘stories’. Reading, telling and re-telling tales has always been an integral part of my life; from my love of reading and making up fantasy worlds when I was young, to illustrating children’s books, to my continuing passion for mythology, history and legends.

Portraits are the main subject for my artwork because I am drawn to faces. For me, a person’s face is like the cover of a book, concealing years’ worth of stories all intricately entwined to weave the fabric of who they are. In every human there are countless strands; love, hope, pain, fear, friendship, and a face is the doorway for the greatest and most complex tale of all.  

These portraits, as a group, also tell a combined story of diversity and equality. Each work depicts women from all different cultures, trends and sexuality, painted in multiple styles and mediums. They construct a narrative of a society where differences, instead of being used as a tool for segregation, can, for the first time in history, join together to build a greater civilization, one of unity, of equality, of sustainability… a civilization where everyone, regardless of gender, race, age, religion, or sexuality can flourish. As yet, this is just a story, but depending on the choices made now, this story can become a history."