Story behind the work: “Still life, 2020”
‘Still life, 2020.’
2020. Oil on canvas.
‘Still life, 2020’ was painted during the 2020 lockdown in Sydney, Australia. I had missed out on Jobkeeper* by, was it three (?) days, and was in this strange limbo period of uncertainty. It was also a period of reflection and rebuilding.
My father, Lew, had passed away after a long battle with Motor Neuron Disease the year before in 2019. For the last few years with his illness I had been living in perpetual fight or flight mode, I was exhausted from working two jobs (one full time in retail, plus 1-2 nights per week hosting art classes) to pay for flights to visit him every few weeks. A lot of family issues came up as well: unprocessed trauma, financial denial, coercing others to restructure their lives in accordance with their values (my parents are deeply religious); and yet there were wonderful things. Despite his body atrophying to the point he couldn’t talk, swallow food, or support the weight of his own head, Dad never complained and was always more interested in giving to and listening to others. He was so full of love and life up until the very end. We wrote one of his favourite sayings “Don’t be glum” on his tombstone.
In 2020, the COVID 19 lockdown forced me to stop and reflect. It was an invitation to evaluate my habits and life trajectory. Before lockdown I was working in retail most days, making art sometimes but rarely, and auditioning for Acting gigs on lunch breaks, booking the odd one here and there. I wasn’t settled in myself. I wasn’t focussed. I was burned out. I wasn’t living fully in line with my purpose and hadn’t fully taken control of my creativity. It’s strange that whilst 2020 was a horrible time for so many in the world, for me it was a time of rebuilding and living again, it provided an opportunity to get back into creativity and to recharge without external pressure.
‘Still life, 2020’ is based on a photograph I took of a bouquet sent to me by my partner on the anniversary of Dad passing away. Illuminated by a ring light (the reflection of which can be seen in the dark TV screen behind), the scene features a ribbon, Playstation remote, TV remote (the side profile of which is behind the glass vase), vase of flowers and a cloth draped partially over a black TV screen. It is a snapshot of life at the time: playstation remote to watch Netflix, ring light for social media, flowers for the anniversary; and leans on old Flemish Technique art traditions (painted in several layers, and a Still Life subject that wouldn’t be out of place centuries ago). Whilst there is a strong traditional art aspect, there are modern interjections of technology with the Playstation controller and ring light.
Still life as an art tradition, especially the painting of flowers, had a lot to do with capturing life recognising its inevitable decay.
This painting, ‘Still life, 2020’ is about the old persisting in the new, of celebrating the beauty of life and recognising that even in death, life in a broader sense still persists and goes on.
ABOVE: Process images of the artwork which was painted over numerous layers, with the final framed product right.
*Jobkeeper was a strategy by the Australian Government which paid businesses employee salaries to prevent jobloss during the lockdown.
This painting, amongst many others, is dedicated to dear ol’ Dad.
xxx
