Pictured above: two recently completed paintings, Maid of Honour and Orange Tree, freshly varnished in readiness for the annual exhibition, One Hundred Faces at Playing in the Attic.
Both works take designs by May Morris as points of departure - in the case of Maid of Honour, 2023, her embroidery Maids of Honour, c. 1890, a personal favourite of mine - and both were labours of love.
Maid of Honour, 2023 (study), acrylic on canvas mounted on board, 10 x 10 cm.
Some developmental views of the work are below.
Serendipitously, I’ve just discovered that the May Morris panel Maids of Honour was originally owned by the artist Marie Spartali Stillman. Her work appears next to mine on the poster for the upcoming exhibitions Pre-Raphaelites, Drawings and Watercolours and In the Company of Morris at the Art Gallery of Ballarat. (See Blog Post Wednesday, April 12).
The second work, Orange Tree, 2023 (pictured below) is also followed by a handful of process views, including a reproduction of Orange Tree, circa 1897, the textile designed and embroidered by May Morris that was its primary source of inspiration.
Orange Tree, 2023, (study) acrylic on canvas mounted on board, 10 x 10 cm.
One Hundred Faces is presented in connection with Tiny Towns Arts Trail. The exhibition opens tomorrow, Saturday 22 April, and runs to the end of May.
Playing in the Attic
13 Ballaarat Street
Talbot VIC Australia 3371
Opening hours: Friday - Monday 10 am - 4 pm