Artist's description: During the creative process of this series I decided I would only paint images that could make the back of my eyes feel warm. Having established that this was the ultimate goal of this collection, I can say Ive been successful. Theres something about these embracing translucent monochrome figures that makes my tear ducts tense up.
Even though I am an affectionate person, I'm not a huggy person. I could argue that I save hugs for special occasions or that I only hug my friends when Im incredibly happy, or emotional, or drunk. There had been times in 2020 when I was feeling like one or more of those things, but for obvious reasons I could not hug everyone I wanted. And I missed it so damn much. More than I ever thought I would. I've been through some bitter hug-less moments: my best friends who became 30, the one who had a baby, the baby itself, the ones who lost dear ones, the ones who were anxious, scared and lonely, the one who got an Emmy nomination (I'm not bragging, you're bragging).
I've created a series of paintings on this theme. I'm naming the series Closeness. It is about:
- Gratitude, for those I could hold when things got tough or happy or bitter during this odd odd year.
- Longing, for the moments 2020 stole from me.
- Hope for holding my people again.