Oil on linen

Signed on the front.

Whenever I think about ‘Naked’ it reminds me of ‘original sin’. Adam and Eve’s realisation that they could be hurt, and they could hurt. This sense of vulnerability was an issue for me during the long Victorian lockdown. Not being able to visit my father in ICU in Sydney, I had to work on shifting my attitude. I had to make a conscious effort to ‘be present’. I did this by reflecting each morning on what I was grateful for. That was all I could control, and it helped me push the sense of vulnerability aside each day.
“Grateful” is a very personal painting. It was painted during the first lockdown, which felt like it would never end. I created this painting to represent my gratefulness and my vulnerability. I was grateful for my relationship and the experiences and memories that have made me who I am. The way in which I captured the feeling of vulnerability was through presenting the figures naked, but with underpants. Not sexualised but intimate. The bedroom represents intimacy for me. The photo on the bedside table is obscured to represent my accumulation of memories that have led me to this point in time.