The new collection, launching on 22/02/22
This brand new collection has been one of my most experimental collections yet. I had inspiration for the funfair work long before I actually started creating it. I held off because I wasn't sure if it would fit in with my other work, and knew that it wouldn't be everyones cup of tea. However, when I don't listen to my inspiration I lose my creativity and drive for anything else, so eventually I knew it was time to let myself do what I really wanted to do.
Listening to my inspiration and ideas is really important, because my artwork is more than just the picture itself - it's an outpouring of emotions, feelings, experiences that I'm going through or have gone through. I still don't understand fully the significance of using funfair scenes as my imagery, but I felt extremely drawn to the lights, the colours and the atmosphere of anticipation, fun, nervousness etc. There's a lot to it and I'm still trying to analyse it all myself!
I find that a lot of the perspectives are from someone outside looking in. Someone who is at the funfair but not in the funfair if that makes sense.
My life took an unexpected turn last year, which has led me to unexpected places, doing unexpected things and not really knowing whats around the corner, and in some ways, I have quite enjoyed letting go of the way I thought things would go, and just allowing myself to be swept away in the tide that is life.
You get on a funfair ride, you stop using your legs and surrender to where the ride takes you - and the thrill that comes with it.
This collection was all about creating a 'magical' and 'ethereal' atmosphere, creating paintings that would literally take you to the funfair, hearing the sounds, smelling the candy floss. The painting on the left in particular is full of hope, it's an approach towards the fair which holds all the promise of a good time.
As ever, it's not all happiness and rainbows. In life there is always ups and downs, and sometimes the excitement of going to a new place fools us for a while before reality swoops in. I would be lying if I said I'd never gone somewhere new or changed something in my life and expected everything to be fine forever.
Wherever you go, you take yourself with you, and the battles that you face. This life isn't easy, but it's coming to an acceptance of the fact that there will be ups and there will be downs. Sometimes we feel the rush of wind on our skin as we sail down the slide, but then we have to sweat our way up the stairs again.
What I love about this painting is that it's so imperfect. I painted it perfect at first, and I didn't like it. It said nothing. It was literally a helter skelter. But then because I didn't like it, I got a bit messy, I spilt water on it, I scrapped the delicate colours and slapped on the red, and it just became the wildest helter skelter I ever did see. Through that process, I got it - I got what it was trying to say and trying to be.
This is my favourite piece from the collection, because it meant a lot to me personally, and represents probably my biggest battle. I think, especially for creative people, there is an urge to hide. Hide yourself, and hide what you do. Hide why you have done something. Sometimes it's a feeling of being 'too big' or 'too much', feeling out of place in a crowd because you move differently. Sometimes you'd rather just be invisible but you can't because you're a ferris wheel and you'r lights are supposed to shine bright and your wheel is supposed to turn.
This painting draws you in, because there's this big ferris wheel, completely out of context, standing alone in a barren landscape. We can only really be what we are supposed to be when we're in the context of the world. When we're surrounded by others.
You can still turn the wheel and flash the lights over there in the distance, but what is the point? Everyone needs to belong.
One random fact about me is that I love endings. I feel endings. It's a change in the air, and gives me a sense of freedom. Like I don't have to care so much about the little annoyances. But endings can't be endings without a beginning, because if something wasn't about to begin then nothing would be ending.
So like a carousel, we go round and round, through many cycles of beginnings and endings but it's going to stop eventually. The end of the carousel ride, and the beginning of not being on the carousel ride.
The point I'm trying to make, is that this painting is an existential crises summed up in a picture. Like I said before, I've started a lot of new things recently, lots and lots of beginnings but I've been in an 'ending' state of mind. It feels like an ending and I can't explain why.
This painting is a kind of 'spin-off' of the other one. As a child I always tried to imagine what it would be like to exist forever and ever. To live for an eternity, even in a perfect place. I would try to think about it for as long as possible but then my brain would just switch off. Like nope, that's too much to handle right now.
So this piece is like the opposite of the other one. Endings. Eternity.
I think themes like this often come up in a world that is changing so rapidly. It starts to make you think about beginnings and endings, the purpose of life.
It was important for me to gather inspiration by going out and being at funfairs, creative spaces, so that I could get images and ideas alongside first-hand experience of the atmosphere.
I was very excited to go to the circus "Cirque du Soleil" in London, to see their new show.
The dedication & creativity of the perfomance is so amazing, and definitely inspired a couple of paintings from this collection
"Welcome to the funfair" in the home
This collection is bright, colourful, metallic. The work is joyful, and hopeful - not in a looking at life through rose-coloured glasses kind of way, but a joy that withstands the dips & falls. It celebrates experiencing this life and this world through the metaphor of a funfair.
It's also my reflections on how it has felt to be in this world, where things are changing rapidly and the way that it's making me feel. It's been a wake up call to reevaluate what I'm doing in life, and a reminder to not miss out on opportunities because of fear.
Who is it for?
Of course, everyone is welcome to my artwork and if any of these paintings speak to you then I hope that it is within your means to treat yourself!
I feel that this work will especially resonate with creative people, poets, artists, dancers, writers, singers etc.
It would hopefully bring that magical atmosphere into the room, that inspires, brings hope, and reminds you to always look for that special 'feeling' in every moment, that keeps you pressing forward with the hope of discovering new & exciting things.
I hope you enjoyed reading about my new collection, and that it gives a bit more context and meaning to the work that I have created.
This collection launches on 22/02/22 in the evening, but email subscribers get early access, so sign up if you are interested.
Feel free to message me with any questions.
Thanks!
-Sophie
