Summer 2024 - ongoing
What I see is what I paint, and what I see inside and all around me are seasons of joy, rest, regeneration, and silence. Things want to grow, bloom, and reproduce; then settle back into the nourishing black to wait and emerge again. Life without end is so beautiful.
I let go of the vibrant watercolours I had been using for ten years after my Finding You series and began work with a limited palette of truly non-toxic natural earth and mineral pigments in traditional archival medium tree sap + honey. I soon realised that these new limits could pool not only safer but more authentic creativity. The earthier colours grounded me and allowed me to be more honest.
It feels like a precious gift to get to make paper from plants and paints from body-friendly earth and mineral pigments. I spent years working with video and computers, and appreciate now working with these older technologies - with my hands and eyes and organic materials in the silence of my studio; with smells, sounds, and sensations that do no harm.
Above is a selection of watercolour paintings on 100% celery fibre paper. Each painting is 20x28cm and has the deckle edges of handmade paper. Both paper and paint are archival, meaning they can last for hundreds of years if kept dry. Paintings are for sale unframed at €100, plus p&p. To enquire please email me at: aoifefia@outlook.ie