Passion and Progeny - Painting Commission

Oil on Canvas with Gold leaf.

102 x 152cm.

This commission was for a family. I looked at the room which it was going to be in, the colour scheme, fabrics,  art work they liked, general things they liked.

We were looking at flower based paintings, but as the painting evolved it became an abstract family portrait. The main flower elements representing the family.

Many of the forms that came out made me think of dna strands, the creation of family (and children!) the future possible children, spiritual connections within families, the character of the family members. Forms came and went during the painting process; different figures, idolic symbols, ghostly faces, spirits, animals.

The 4 members of the family are children and the spirits of the past and future swim together in this world. There is a sense of movement and inter connections; like flowing within an ocean, a lily pond, or the sky.

The richness of the colours; cobolt, turquoise cobolt, silver, gold leaf and indigo are indicative of the joyful richness of the family. There is also a purity in the limitation of the palette and the composition; there are no intruders or superfluous entities in the 'world' of this painting.

detail: