The SA Artist’s magazine ran a competition for a cover feature in February 2020. Having never entered a competition before and I decided to give it a bash. I was thrilled to receive second place, and I believe I had narrowly missed first place because my work was not framed. A big lesson for me.
Tretchikoff’s Cushion
The work which I painted for A Still Life Reimagined, carries with it a commentary on our modern lives and the values we attach to material things. I had photographed this homeless lady in Kalk Bay, and I was moved by her situation and wondered how it must be to have to sleep on a ledge in a city. As I thought of her in that position in front of that shop window, I began to think of this painting. I reimagined the items in the shop window and even her position to illustrate what I had in my mind. The fabric wrapped around her shabby and dirty clothes, a bright satin, is a symbol of luxury, opulence and success and stands out in strong contrast to the clothing she wears. The red symbolises blood, passion, desire, anger and danger, it represents the tragedy of her life, a life of mourning and loss. The yellow represents decay and perhaps violence and yet also hope. She is in front of an exotic and fabulous shop, which carries everyday items for making ones life more beautiful and comfortable, a cushion to rest ones head upon, a printed linen fabric to decorate your bed or wall, again in contrast to the concrete ledge this lady finds as her bed. The velvet lamp shaded monkey, holding out his banana leaf symbolises greed and avarice, as the world keeps telling us we can have more, deserve more, need more. The potted plant, Mother Inlaws Tongue, also called the Snake Plant is considered a bad Feng Shui plant and is said to bring poverty and negative energies in life, and represents the negative energies we create while feeding our hedonistic desires. The Orange blossom image on the linen back drop, which symbolises good fortune and fertility is over shadowed by the clouds reflected in the window, symbolising change, storms, uncertainty. in front of the window on the ledge, seperated by the glass window is a turquise lion, overlooking the satin wrapped woman, and represents courage, justice, power and strength. The lion represents an Aslan type protector, watching over this woman, who seems to be precious to no one but The Protector himself. While the whole scene is wrapped in turquoise which is believed to have healing properties, and so symbolises refreshing, calming, wholeness and love.