Nest

‘Nest’ illustrates how comforts can provide us with a sense of safety, but may also cause us to withdraw from the world around us.

In this painting, the human figure is at rest and surrounded by bedding. While giving us needed comfort, protection, and escape from our daily lives, these surroundings can also act as soft walls, barriers that protect us from the outside world but also separate us from it at a cost.

The cloth in this series is an active second character in each piece – it encases, envelopes, and protects these figures from the outside world. Teal textures intermingled with the copper leaf are created in these pieces by applying chemicals that produce an array of coloured patina effects. The smooth portions of uncorroded metal leaf accentuate a pure and uncomplicated ideal of what falling asleep means. In actuality, it is a much more complex and mysterious process of letting go, often disrupted by invasive thoughts.