About The Show

Throughout my degree, I used blue glass medicine bottles as references for multiple projects. The bottles belonged to my grandmother and hold personal meaning for me. I enjoy using them in my artwork as they provide me with an opportunity to reflect. This exhibition is the result of two of those exercises.

The series features a selection of still-life watercolour drawings and oil paintings completed between 2021 and 2024.

Deep Blue Panacea - Oil on Canvas - Various Sizes

In these still-life paintings, the bottles have been intentionally arranged and lit with various LED light colours. Taking initial cues from Giorgio Morandi and Vija Celmins, I wanted to examine how the bottles’ composition and lighting colour could anthropomorphise the objects and affect the mood and narrative of each piece.

The result is a body of work that started as a technical exercise but ended up being surprisingly personal. It is an exploration of relationships, change, and healing, and is intended to be reminiscent of figurative painting and portraiture.

***Wild World*** - Oil on Canvas - 18”x14”

Family Portraits - Watercolour, Ink, Hot-pressed Watercolour Paper, Foam Board - 10 @ 10”x10”

To make these drawings, I measured each bottle and made a paper reproduction to scale. I then mounted each paper bottle to a piece of foam board. The paper bottles were then painted with watercolours to match their original. To see the bottom of the bottle, I suspended a piece of plexiglass between two supports and set the bottles on top. I drew the ink frames after each piece was complete.

To me, the bottles resemble family portraits. I’ve often thought about which person each bottle might represent.