Childhood Friends Painting

This piece came from a combination of shamanistic costumes I had seen, which hid the wearer in a suit of feathers, and the idea of the hidden parts of an individual's identity. This can be an intriguing, startling and fascinating realisation when we think we know those closest to us, but in fact more often know little of the vast landscapes of their interior lives. The childhood reference is pointed up by the beach setting - holidays spent at the seaside where there seemed to be a sense of greater freedom and of possibility - hence the wheeling birds and the figures clothed in feathers - both symbols of freedom and of spirituality. The pairs of gulls appear to be playing with each other, but the dropped fish reflects the precariousness of human relationships - how many friends and potential loves have we let go of or - through circumstances either within or beyond our control - lost throughout our lives? Often the oldest relationships have the greatest spiritual depth. I like to think of this image being shrouded in mystery, familiarity, hope and love.