Self Portrait in a Still Life

The Happy Couple and some of the Collection, pastel on board, 24x18cm

The things that I use as inspiration and motifs are part of me.  About thirty years ago my mother hooked me a wedding rug.  It is in our bedroom, underfoot.  My sister's is on her wall.  Mine is worn.  My sister's is pristine.  I know mine by touch. 

There's alot to think about when composing a drawing or painting.  The first thing is WHO IS THIS FOR? Although I do the occasional commission, for the most part my work is for me and then to show.  If I am lucky and I really like what I'm making, someone else usually does too.  My audience likes different things so I have scope to experiment and work in different media and motifs. Yesterday i wanted to have fun and steep myself in some of my favourite colours.

What I am working on begins with a question, or a puzzle or a delight or some colours that I need to fix in time.  Yesterday (and today's) drawing was about me, for sure, but it was also about where I came from, who I am here with and what I like, mostly.  As I chose objects I wanted to create a window into my life, how I see myself.  I began with the rug. I found a way to make a backdrop of the rug, first, then I began choosing objects. They were about eye height… boxes stacked on a plant stand with a piece of ply on top and then fabric, scarves, stuff.

My still life was going to be colourful, a bit whimsical, maybe frivolous but also solid and dependable (the apple and the book).  The story would be convoluted but pleasant with a little repetition and lots of pattern. It was so much fun to make!  My mother had made the aesthetic decisions in her rug and I was collaging the beautiful objects that are in my life already to compliment them.