Marker's Commentary

This painting series is both captivating and tender in this portrait of the artist’s grandmother. The domestic scene has been rendered naturalistically and with deep affection. In the large painting the distorted perspective of the kitchen allows for the inclusion of multiple views of the grandmother to be successfully depicted within the expanded space. There is ease in the grandmother’s actions and the echoing of her form contributes a sense of slow rhythmic movement in keeping with the repeated actions of cooking. She is presented as quiet and reflective, totally engrossed in her daily food preparation. Her top, in vibrant purple depicts an empowering form of feminism and a stoic, female strength. The light-filled kitchen, with its organised clutter, is presented as the hub of domestic life and great care has been taken in the organisation of the elements and in painting each item, to encapsulate the character of the space and person. Pattern and colour, while true-to-life, have been carefully controlled so as to direct the viewers gaze around each of the elements of the composition. There is enjoyment in deciphering the purpose of each of the kitchen objects before spiralling the audience gaze back to the grandmother’s serene face. The aerial viewpoint adopted in the smaller paintings contributes a sense of objectivity while providing insight into routines and the significance of small actions. The subjects depicted also bring the painting squarely within a contemporary framework while offering hints of the meshing of cultures and cuisines. Featuring partially shelled peanuts, bread ready for spreading, twin eggs frying in a wok and blue slip-on shoes, these small paintings provide insights into the character and culture of the grandmother. There is almost a sense of melancholy in the fusing of past and present without being gloomy, cumulatively conveying emotional intimacy and decisiveness. Each object depicted provides calculated coherence to flesh out a loving portrait.