Rebecca Duckett-Wilkinson

'!00 Patterns in 100 Days' by Christian Fischbacher with Rebecca Duckett-Wilkinson

‘100 Patterns in 100 Days’ A Capsule Collection by Christian Fischbacher with Rebecca Duckett- Wilkinson

January 2023 saw the launch of the capsule collection ‘100 patterns in 100 days’ by Christian Fischbacher in Paris at Paris Deco Off.

I am absolutely thrilled to have been invited to collaborate with the wonderful textile company Christian Fischbacher on this Capsule Collection.

Christian Fischbacher tells the Story:

“The collection ‘100 Patterns in 100 Days’ brings to life a snapshot of 100 designs conceived by the Malaysian artist Rebecca Duckett-Wilkinson in the Spring of 2020. Caught off guard by the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, Duckett-Wilkinson spent several months in isolation in her countryside home in Piedmont, Italy. In this extraordinary situation, she set herself the creative goal of painting 100 patterns in 100 days. Expressive works of art emerged inspired by her daily walks in the surrounding area capturing dream-like landscapes, the opulent colourfulness of seasonal change and the richness in detail of nature. From memory, Duckett-Wilkinson also painted symbolic motifs, including a Malayan tiger which features as one of the main designs in the capsule collection. Together with long-time friend Creative Director Camilla D. Fischbacher, Duckett-Wilkinson has translated her poignant library of patterns into textile form. An inspiring story of creativity in a time of turmoil, Duckett-Wilkinson’s detailed floral patterns, fantastical motifs and imaginative worlds of colour add a flourish of artistic and highly original design to any interior.

Rebecca Duckett-Wilkinson’s passion for the flora and fauna of South East Asia has led her to be personally involved in the creation of a series of unique luxury adventure projects, geared at families and people of all age groups. They play a big part in the inspiration and subject matter of all her paintings and artworks.

Tiger Rock Malaysia

The Tropical Spice Garden

Tiger Blue Indonesia

A percentage of every sale of the HARIMAU Rug and the DAWON Decorative Cushions goes to support Save Wild Tigers. Together, we can make a difference. “

Check out the story & see the video behind how I got to work with Christian Fischbacher on this capsule collection here: The Story behind '100 Patterns in 100 days'

Photos courtesy of Christian Fischbacher

Read my story on this collaboration on my blog ‘100 Patterns in 100 Days’

Read more on the collection here: Style ‘Options, The Edge’

The Illustrations for 'To Nourish With Love'

I painted the illustrations for the book ‘To Nourish With Love’ by Manju Saigal & Bettina Chua Abdullah. It is an evocative food memoir & a really wonderful cookbook. My illustrations gave visuals to Manju’s memories of her childhood in Mussoorie, India & to those made by her move to Malaysia. I was thrilled to have been part of this project & the book is a treasure of information & food lovingly made. It is a truly beautiful book in every way.

10 illustrations & a map for the end covers of the book.

The original illustrations are all painted using gouache & watercolour.

The book is published by Hikayat & the book can be purchased on line at Gerakbudaya Bookshop Penang.

Make Like a Duck (Back)

Manju’s memories of walking up & down the hills to get to Waverley Convent in the monsoon, wearing the uncomfortable Duckback raincoats.

Mangoes at Bhatta Falls

The memory of carefree days at Bhatta Falls in Mussoorie feasting on mangoes. These mangoes were rolled until they were soft & the flesh broken down. A hole was pinched into the skin & the sweet fragrant liquid flesh was sucked out. What a treat!

Welcome to St Xaviers

The first day of school! Arrival at the boarding house.

Meet the Sours

The flavour ‘Sour’ & all the citrus & fruit that make our lips pucker.

Truckers' Dal

All about the colourful truck stops in Indian & the small highway dhaba kitchens that provide helpings of good hearty comfort food.

Make Way for the Maruti

Manju’s mother went to market in a a red Maruti van. It came back to the boarding house laden with fruit in season & vegetables. When peaches & plums were overflowing jam making sessions took place at the boarding house kitchen. Jam on bread for all!

Tutti Frutti with Daddy

Manju remembers having tutti fruity with her father during holidays & Sundays with lots of visitors & tourists in Mussoorie.

Desi Meets the Dragon

Store cupboard goodies & the Indian love for Chinese food.

Everyone Can Cook!

Manju’s kitchen was packed with keen learners when she taught how to cook smokey pot cooked mutton!

To Delhi & Beyond!

The journey to college, to meeting her husband Lal & from Mussoorie to Malaysia.

The End Covers

The map from Mussoorie to Malaysia

The Water Tigress - Save Wild Tigers

2022 was the Chinese year of the Water Tiger. It is also my birth year in the Chinese Calendar. The Malayan Tiger, iconic symbol of Malaysia, my country, is on the brink of extinction.

It is a tragic reality that in just a few short years, this incredible creature may no longer walk free & wild. We have failed this proud, strong & ancient creature.

I am supporting the foundation ‘Save Wild Tigers’ with a series of Tiger artworks. 25% of all sales will be donated to this organisation to help fund their global tiger conservation campaign to raise awareness & reduce demand for illegal tiger products, & to develop & support ‘Demand Reduction’ campaigns in the key Tiger countries.

Other tiger artworks are in progress & a small exhibition is planned at the end of 2023 in Penang. Please stay tuned!

The Water Tigress - Archival Fine Print- Landscape

Size: 59.4cm x 84.1 cm

Landscape

Extra white border for framing purposes

Edition of 12 fine prints signed & numbered

Canon pigment inkjet print

Ilford cotton artist textured paper 310gsm

RM3500 per print

P&P included if sent within Malaysia

International shipping is not included

Please email me for details: rebeccaduckett@mac.com

The Water Tigress- Archival Fine Print - Portrait

Size 42cm x 59.4cm

Portrait

White border for framing purposes

Edition of 12 fine prints signed & numbered

Canon pigment inkjet print

Ilford cotton artist textured paper 310g

RM1900 per print

P&P included if sent within Malaysia

International shipping is not included

Please contact me for details: rebeccaduckett@mac.com

Tiger Bright

A limited edition of just 6 fine prints originally produced for the exhibition ‘Belang’ at the Penang State Art gallery with a percentage of proceeds going to the Campaign to save the Malayan Tiger with Perhilitan Malaysia.

All prints are SOLD. The edition 6/6 has sold with 25% of the sale price of this print donated to Save Wild Tigers.

The Pattern Book

I have just presented a unique and very personal small exhibition at the tiny gallery in Hikayat in George Town, Penang. Located at 226 Beach Street the exhibition hangs until 17th April 2022.

‘The Pattern Book’ : a singular handmade book of thirty gouache pattern paintings and five giclee limited-edition prints. The Pattern Book is a visual diary of emotions across thirty days—spontaneous paintings made after I woke up each day. They are basically feelings & emotions in colour. Colours reflect emotions: heat and coolness, calm and panic, success and frustration, happiness and sadness. These are not opposites. They intersect in unanticipated ways & I allowed my ‘hand’ to just paint in any way without any thinking or planning. I finished each piece when I looked & thought it was enough.

These 30 painted pattern were made from the end of December 2019 before the Covid pandemic lockdowns.

This exhibition was to have taken place in March–April 2020 in conjunction with the Open Studio’s Penang programme in early 2020. Because of the pandemic this did not happen and the work has been waiting patiently to be viewed. Two years later this small body work has become the beginning of a much bigger story.

Please go to my gallery 100 Motivi per 100 Giorni / 100 Patterns 100 Days to see how this routine of painting patterns became a much bigger project for me during lockdown in Italy.

‘The routine daily practices of writing, sketching and painting have helped me visualise what I want my images to say and look like.’

‘My pattern-making has brought me back in touch with the practice of being spontaneous with my colour choices and my hand, the strokes that I make.’

These quotes accompanied the original exhibition planned for March 2020. Today, Rebecca stands by these sentiments. Perhaps they resonate even more so now as it has been this daily practice followed through nearly two years of lockdown, much of the time home alone, that has focused her mind, hand and thought processes. The passing of the seasons are her marker of time. That act of making practice a routine is a huge comfort.

The exhibition of original handmade book is accompanied by 5 fine limited edition, signed & numbered prints, with the option of a single edition print of the 16 prints chosen.

Capturing Exotics

The beginnings of my series of still life’s retelling the story of ‘exploration’ & ‘capturing’ of exotic botanicals & other precious commodities that went on in the past, in the name of discovery, exploration & knowledge. These stories have always been told through the eyes of the men that voyaged & journeyed the world. His story rather than Her story.

The His story books tell us about all the escapades of searching for plants but not much about the ensuing molestation of the exotic local women, or the consequences of these botanical ‘discoveries’ on the female figures in these exotic places. These stories are not what you find on the nostalgic & very charming, jugs, tea cups, dinner services( that I absolutely love to collect), painted with swaying coconut palms, sailing boats & sunsets.

This series of botanical still life’s offers alternative scenes that tell you the stories that connect the plants to the women.

These paintings are currently not for sale & the series will be exhibited in its entirety on completion of the full set of still life’s.

Capturing Exotics- Pitcher Plant

71cm x 100cm

Gouache, watercolour & Chinese ink on paper.

This still life features the wonderful pitcher plants that I love so much. Several species are indigenous to Malaysia & as a child, they were always such a treasure to find. It was always a thrill to look into the pitchers to see if there were any devoured insects, or any insects still struggling to get out of the water captured inside.

This was the first still life in my idea of trying to re interpret the story of the discoveries made by the men who voyaged in the name of science of discovery. Painting this still life has helped to focus my ideas around this idea of the female side of the same story.

Breadfruit Bounty

71cm x 100 cm

Gouache, watercolour & Chinese ink on paper

The story of the very humble fruit…Breadfruit. In 1769 while voyaging with Captain Cook to Tahiti, Joseph Banks identified breadfruit as a fast growing & nutritious food. It was Banks idea to collect the plants with a plan to grow the seedlings in the Caribbean as an abundant food source for the slaves working in the sugar plantations of these colonies.

Captain Blight & the ship ‘Bounty’ set out to Tahiti to collect the plants. After an arduous journey & a long delay as his crew enjoyed the benefits of ‘free love’ with the local natives, Bligh gathered his crew & set sail with just over 1000 plants.

23 days later Fletcher Christian instigated a mutiny, tossing off the plants & setting Bligh & 18 of his loyal crew adrift.

The mutineers set off on a zig zagging sail, which saw them returning to Tahiti to make off with 12 local women, a child & 3 local men, & after a total voyage of 8000 miles, 9 months later, they choose the truly remote island of Pitcairn, 1000 miles from Tahiti.

The rest is history as it were…in this mutineer bubble life went on, incestuous & brutal, with fathers sharing daughters, normalised sexual abuse, violence & forced inbreeding until in 2004, the trials began. The crimes flagged up by a British woman police officer serving a stint on the island, still under the British flag.

6 men, a third of the male population of the island were up for charges of incest, child sexual abuse, rape, sexual violence. The mayor Steve Christian was convicted of 33 sexual offences.

The relationships between mutineers & the local group of women taken to Pitcairn, in so remote a location, over hundred’s of years, skewed the ideas of ‘morality’ & normalised sexual abuse for the female population.

Note: Bligh & his crew survived, reaching Timor, 3600 miles away from where he was chucked off the ‘Bounty’. In 1791 Bligh was sent back to Tahiti & collected 2,126 breadfruit plants with 678 making it to St. Vincents & Jamaica. 66 of these plants were sent to Bath Botanical gardens in Jamaica & the ‘daughters’ of these trees survive there to this day.

The Chinese Zodiac

How the twelve animal signs of the Chinese Zodiac came to be.

11th February 2021……I started these little paintings of the animal Chinese Zodiac during Covid lockdown to say goodbye to the lunar year 2020- Rat- & welcome in the new lunar year 2021- Buffalo. Nearly a year of lockdown had gone by.

After I painted Rat & welcomed the year of the Buffalo on the 12th February 2021, it had snowed during the night. It was very cold day & because I was enjoying this change of theme & different style of painting, I decided to carry on painting the zodiac animals & story of the race. It seemed a nice story to complete in the days moving into the Chinese New Year celebrations of 2021.

The story of how the Jade Emperor chose the 12 animals whose personality & fortune each of us take on in the year of which we are born, is a sweet one. This is my take on it. I hope you enjoy it!

When the Jade Emperor called together the creatures to compete for their inclusion in the Zodiac, only 12 animals ended up crossing the finish line to complete the Chinese Zodiac.

But just to tell the whole myth & story of the race……..in the beginning, the cat asked the rat to register it for the race. Unbeknown to the cat, the rat registered himself but not the cat!

The Year of the Rat

As the race started, both the cat & the rat jumped onto the back of the kind buffalo & hitched a ride to get them across the river. As they reached the river bank, the rat leapt off the head of the buffalo & ran to cross the finish line to win the race. The cat crossed the finish line too, but was disqualified by the Jade Emperor because it was not registered. The Jade Emperor named Rat the winner & the first animal of the Chinese Zodiac. Ever since then, cats have always hunted rats!

Year of the Buffalo

Buffalo ambled over the finish line shortly after getting a quick wash & rub from the daughter of the farmer whose padi fields the buffalo steadily dragged the plough during planting season. The buffalo settled for second place, the second year of the Chinese zodiac.

Year of the Tiger

The Tiger was ahead in the race at first, but as it swam across the river, it got carried off by the strong current & after a struggle to get back up the rapids, the tiger waded through the reed beds to get back up on the riverbank to come in third past the finish line, after Buffalo.

Year of the Rabbit

The Rabbit was fourth to cross the finish line. The Jade Emperor was surprised to see Rabbit so soon. Rabbit told him “I hopped from rock to rock & then I leapt onto a floating log. It didn’t move at all but suddenly a gust of warm wind blew me straight to the riverbank!”

The Jade Emperor smiled & Rabbit became the fourth year of the Chinese zodiac.

Year of the Dragon

The Dragon, the only mythical creature that took part in the race, landed with a thud at the feet of the Jade Emperor who exclaimed “Dragon, you are in fifth place. I expected you the be first to arrive!”

The Dragon sighed loudly “I was flying ahead of all the animals but in the distance I saw a village on fire so I had to change my flight direction & help them put it out. Then, as I was above the river, I saw a small rabbit stuck on a floating log. I let out a big gust of breath & blew him to the river bank. She may have fallen off & drown if I didn’t help!”

The Jade Emperor nodded & stroke Dragon. ‘Well done Dragon! You are indeed, a much maligned creature.” Dragon became the fifth year of the Chinese zodiac.

Year of the Snake

Snake crossed the finish line in sixth place. Snake had slithered up a bush overlooking the opposite riverbank & was wondering how it would get across the river. Horse galloped up & brushed against the the bush. Horse momentarily halted while checking the depth of the water.

In a flash, Snake flung its lithe body around the Horse’s leg. Horse had no idea he carried a passenger while galloping through the water.

As soon as Horse reached the finishing line, Snake unfurled & from around Horse’s leg. & flung its long lithe body forward across the finish line. Snake became the sixth year of the Chinese zodiac.

Year of the Horse

Horse, in mid gallop, saw Snake & reared both front legs up in absolute fright. With a loud whinny & wide eyes, Horse turned in mid air & galloped as fast as possible int he opposite direction. Horse was so frightened of snakes!

Horse took a look across the river & came to a halt all hot & bothered. Horse stamped the ground with both feet & saw not he river, various animals making towards the river bank & the finishing line. Horse did a quick turn & galloped like the wind to where the jade Emperor stood waiting.

“Horse! You have crossed the finish line. You overcame your fear of Snake to complete the race. You have become the seventh year in the Chinese zodiac!”

Year of the Goat

Goat, Monkey & Rooster all arrived together at the riverbank. None of them wanted to get into the river.

“I’m made to climb mountains, not swim in rivers.” Said Goat.

“I can’t swim well. The current in the river is too strong.” Said Monkey.

“ I can’t fly that far. I may fall into the river & drown.” Said Rooster.

Monkey climbed a tree & looked around.

“Look there’s a raft! Let’s take that!” Cried Monkey

The 3 animals commandeered the raft. Goat stood at the bow, using his weight to keep the raft steady. Monkey sat quietly in the middle & rooster stood at the back, flapping both wings in an attempt to keep the raft moving in the right direction.

Goat saw the Jade Emperor waiting on the final river banked. Goat looked happily at the long green grass beyond just as the raft bumped against the rocks, Goat bound over them, past the Jade Emperor & immediately started to eat on the fresh grass.

“Ha Ha! Agile Goat! You are the 8th year in the Zodiac” said the Jade Emperor

Year of the Monkey

Once Goat leapt off the raft it drifted off, bumping along the rocks on the bank. Monkey quickly grabbed a length of bamboo growing alongside the river & held on with all his might.

“Cockerel! Come on! I can’t hold on much longer! Stop your crowing & flapping & come along!” Monkey shouted at Cockerel.

Cockerel flapped some more.

“Cockerel! We have reached the edge of the bamboo forest. You need to come now or you will loose sight of the finish line & get lost in the bamboo forest. I will hop ahead now as fast as I can & once I’m over the finish line, I’ll climb a tree & keep my eye on you to make sure you don’t get lost!”

Cockerel flapped some more & strutted to the edge of the raft just as Monkey hurried off.

“Keep an eye on me! “ Cockerel crowed after monkey.

Monkey lopped swiftly through the bamboo, past the Jade Emperor, past the finish line & climbed straight up the nearest tall tree. Cockerel was in the distance.

The Jade Emperor looked after him “Monkey, you loyal friend, you are the ninth year of the Zodiac!”

Year of the Cockerel

Cockerel hopped off the raft & immediately lost his sense of direction in the bamboo forest. Monkey could see his bright red comb & wattle from the top of the tree. It stood out in the green bamboo forest.

Cockerel crowed “Monkey! Have you got an eye on me?”

Monkey screeched back “Yes! I see your red comb standing up on top of your head! Keep flapping your wings so that I can guide you towards the edge of the bamboo forest!”

So Cockerel held his bright red comb high & flapped his wings mightily as Monkey screeched directions whenever Cockerel made a wrong turn. Poor monkey got no rest!

In that way, Cockerel made it to the edge of the bamboo forest, & immediately saw the Jade Emperor dozing in the warm sun. Cockerel ran & flapped & crowed his way across the finish line.

The Jade Emperor was jolted awake from his nap. He laughed at the wonderful sight of Cockerel running across the finish line.

“Cockerel! What a colourful sight you are! You are the 10th year of the Zodiac!”

Year of the Dog

Dog loved being in the race with the other animals. So many other animals to meet! Dog bounding with energy was well in the front of the race at the beginning. However as the river came up, there were so many smells to investigate & other things to see & bother.

The tortoise on the bank who when prodded tucked his head & legs into his shell. This fascinated Dog & Dog decided to wait & prod Tortoise several times.

Then, the dragonflies in the reeds were great fun to chase.

Dog barked at the egrets, but they ignored the noisy animal as they concentrated on their fishing.

Dog dived into the shallow waters. Dog‘s nose smelt the mud, under tufts of grass, in between rocks so when the final riverbank was reached, Dog was damp with hair all dishevelled but still full of happy energy for the wonders that were found on the riverbank.

Dog looked up & seeing the Jade Emperor just beyond the finish line, ran up to him wagging his tail, panting & barking with happiness.

The Jade Emperor patted him on his head & looked him in the eyes. “Dog, how happy you are! You are the eleventh year of the Zodiac!”

Year of the Boar

The Jade Emperor waited patiently for the final animal to cross the finish line. Twelve animals had registered for the race. He sighed “Where is Boar?”

Boar was trying not to take so long but it was hard. Boar swam easily against the strong currents to cross the river. Boars are well known for swimming vast distances.

Once across the river Boar wandered into the shade of the bamboo forest & tired from all the swimming, took a nap on a pile of fallen bamboo leaves.

Boar awoke a while later feeling hungry & continued the journey into an orchard. There were papayas, mangoes & lychee. Boar saw ripe papayas ready to fall & head-butted the trunk of the papaya tree. One fell immediately. Boar enjoyed the fresh fruit so much!

The mangoes were much harder to reach & the tree was too big to shake with head-butts. Boar managed to reach a few lychees by standing against the tree & stretching into the branches.

Much refreshed & hunger satisfied, Boar strolled along to the Jade Emperor & across the finish line.

“Boar! What took you so long?” The Jade Emperor inquired rather impatiently.

“Oh I do apologise!” Said the Boar “It’s hard for me to race so. The bamboo forest was so relaxing & the fruit so delicious, I really could not resist a nap & a snack.”

The Jade Emperor had to smile a little. “Dear Boar for whom life is to be enjoyed, you are the twelfth year in the Zodiac!”

The Jade Emperor turned to look at all the twelve animals “Thank you dear animals! Now my Zodiac is complete! May you all bring health & prosperity to all born under the auspices of your years!”

Forbidden Fruit-Part 1-Women, Sex & Botany

My exhibition ‘Forbidden Fruit’ - all new works on paper-was held at Art Space 1, China House in Penang in November & December 2019. The exhibition is a collection of visuals accompanied by lines of poetry & words.

There is a synonymous connection between sex, women, botany & environment, & how ‘we’ perceive all of it. There are parallels between how women & girls, & the environment, are treated not only in a Malaysian context, but also in that of the wider world. Botany, the discovery & collection of plant life, its exploitation, & the exploitation of new lands, is all intertwined in the history of the world. And from this history, our narrative for plants, sex & women has been formed. This history & science of botany is told generally, from a white western man’s point of view & has greatly influenced the language, science, folklore & actions towards women through time.

Women & the environment. Why are they both so badly treated by man?

The Eyes of the Jungle

Gouache & Collage on Handmade Cotton Rag Paper

There are eyes in this jungle. They are female.

The Tree Sprite is ever present in the jungle. She is the feeling you get of being watched in deep forest, she is the reason when suddenly one leaf with swing side to side even when there is no breeze. The Tree Sprites are the ever watching eyes of the jungle. They are the reason men are afraid of the deep dark jungle.

The Sprite of the Cool Breeze

Gouache & Collage on Handmade Cotton Rag Paper

Pontianak, Matianak, Kuntianak, Kunti. She lives in the banana trees. The scent of frangipani, a cool breeze. She is there. Men say ‘A wicked creature’. Men, weak in the knees, tremble with fear. A sprite, she preys on helpless men. Only in a man’s imagination. Beautiful, black hair, red eyes, pale skin. In fear of Kunti, Goddess of Nature, The body of her? Men slash & burn.

The Tree Sprite

Gouache & Collage on Handmade Cotton Rag Paper

The Jungle is Female. She is raped by man. In the Tropical & the Temperate, men slash & burn. They rape the Jungle & the Tree Sprites fall. Its a Jungle out there. Girls beware!

The Rain Sprite

Gouache & Collage on Handmade Cotton Rag Paper

Water, the symbol of life. Rain, the symbol of renewal. Woman, the symbol of fertility. Mother Earth our home, she provides shelter, food, comfort, beauty. Why do we treat her so badly?

Eyes That Burn Through Clothes (Blue)

‘In all honesty, a senator says….”When I look at women & girls, I am seduced to commit rape, to commit incest, to watch ponography, to molest. Protect me please.” he says. In all honesty.’

Ladies…don’t we all know what it feels like when men’s eyes burn through our clothes?

Eyes That Burn Through Clothes ( Pink)

‘In all honesty a senator says….”When I look at women & girls I am seduced to commit rape, to commit incest, to watch ponography, to molest. Protect me please.” he says. In all honesty.’

Ladies…don’t we all know what it feels like when men’s eyes burn through our clothes?

Eyes That Burn Through Clothes ( Green)

‘In all honesty a senator says….”When I look at women & girls I am seduced to commit rape, to commit incest, to watch ponography, to molest. Protect me please.” he says. In all honesty.’

Ladies…don’t we all know what it feels like when men’s eyes burn through our clothes?

Slash & Burn. Trees

Gouache & Lino print on Handmade Cotton Rag Paper

In the tropical & the temperate, men slash & burn.

Slash & Burn. Seeds

Gouache & Lino print on Handmade Cotton Rag Paper

In the tropical & the temperate, men slash & burn.

Slash & Burn - 1 to 8

Gouache & Lino print on Handmade Cotton Rag Paper

A series of 8 small pieces. In the tropical & the temperate, men slash & burn.

Ecstacy ( like Carl Linnaeus saw it)

Gouache on Paper

Carl Linnaeus, the Father of Taxonomy coined the 3 Kingdoms- Animal, Vegetable, Mineral. He set up the sexual system for flowering plants based on the number & arrangement of male & female organs in the flowers.

He said of the anatomy of plants….“The flowers, leaves….serve as the bridal beds, which the Creator has so gloriously arranged, adorned with such nobel bed curtains, & perfumed with so many soft scents that the bridegroom with his bride might there celebrate their nuptials with so much the greater solemnity.”

Chempedak, an ancient, primeval, wild & earthy fruit native to the jungles of Malaysia. A feminine fruit, she has a delicate nature but is full of lusty aroma & lush wild flower. Her fruit is snuggled in soft wavy tendrils of flesh that need to be gently moved to reveal her precious seeds.

Hot Flush

Gouache on Paper

From French ‘Menopause’. From medical Latin ‘menopausis’, from Greek ‘men’(month) & ‘pausis’(a cessation, a pause). The ability to continue to live for decades after losing fertility. You need an ovary. Female humans are the only land based mammals to experience menopause. The only other mammals to experience menopause are 4 types of toothed whales. Belugas, narwhals, orcas & short finned pilot whales. Menopause is noted in some other creatures when they are kept in captivity, & have an artificially extended lifespan. Most other creatures on reaching reproductive senescence…..die. At the onset of menopause, when your ovaries reduce their production of estrogen & stop releasing eggs, human females today, have the time to create a whole new life. There is a lot of power in that. No more periods. No more babies. Such freedom. A change of life!

The Sex Lesson. The Birds & The Bees. 1 + 1 = 3

Gouache & Poster Paint on Handmade Cotton Rag Paper

Condoms were & still made of rubber. Henry N Ridley brought 9 seedlings to Malaysia. In 1879 9 trees were planted in Kuala Kangsar, the stock of which were used to plant the first plantation. Malaysia’s production dwarfed Brazil’s in the 1930’s. ‘Hevea brasiliensis’ originates from South America.

Dancing Sprite ( 1 of 4)

Painted & Potato Printed Gouache on Handmade Cotton Rag Paper

Dancing Sprite ( 2 of 4)

Painted & Potato Printed Gouache on Handmade Cotton Rag Paper

Dancing Sprite ( 3 of 4 )

Painted & Potato Printed Gouache on Handmade Cotton Rag Paper

Dancing Sprite ( 4 of 4)

Painted & Potato Printed Gouache on Handmade Cotton Rag Paper

Forbidden Fruit- Part 2-Women, Sex & Botany

My exhibition of all new works ‘Forbidden Fruit’- all new works on paper- was held at Art Space 1, China House in Penang in November & December 2019.

‘Forbidden Fruit’. Something desired all the more because it is not allowed.

In his book Systema Nature, Carl Linnaeus’ ‘racy’ sexual descriptions led to women being unable to study botany, too delicate were they to be exposed to such sexual innuendo. It got to a point in some places that men & women could not walk & collect botanical specimens together in case they got too stimulated. Women could paint or press flowers but botany was just too stimulating for them.

A note about the art materials I use & why:

In the 18th Century many of the Artist Guild systems in Europe, woman were banned from using oils to paint. They were limited to gouache. Their work was not considered important enough to waste expensive materials such as oil.

Since very young I have been fascinated by this idea of forced limitation of materials for women artists. It must have come from such a feeling of inferiority in the men in charge of the Guilds. I maintain that a woman cannot be held back by limited materials.

As a female artist I have always been inspired by botanicals & have been in awe of great women botanical artists like Maria Sibylla Merian who worked exclusively in gouache because of the ban. She was the leading entomologist of her time, arguably of all time, & she documented Metamorphosis for the first time. Indeed she ‘discovered’ metamorphosis, the transformation from tiny egg, to caterpillar, to chrysalid, then the emergence of the butterfly. Her paintings were not just accurate documents & studies, but also exciting in their composition & juxtaposition of specimens. She told a story in her natural history paintings & they have stood the long long test of time.

In these works on women, sex & botany, I have limited my materials to gouache, watercolors & paper. In ode to all the female artists before me who created & documented the most amazing things natural, with these humble materials. Images have power no matter how humble the materials.

Forbidden Fruit. 12 Fruit

Gouache on Handmade Cotton Rag Paper

Carl Linnaeus the Swedish botanist, formalised the modern system of naming plants & organisms called binomial nomenclature. A two name naming system with the generic name first, then the specific name which identifies the species within the genus.

All these 12 fruits have a sexual & sensual connotation & are a common part of the language of sex & sensualism.

Ficus carica

Gouache on Handmade Cotton Rag Paper

Citrus sinensis

Gouache on Handmade Cotton Rag Paper

Nephelium lappaceum

Gouache on Handmade Cotton Rag Paper

Carica papaya

Gouache on Handmade Cotton Rag Paper

Durio

Gouache on Handmade Cotton Rag Paper

Citrus limon

Gouache on Handmade Cotton Rag Paper

Ananas comosus

Gouache on Handmade Cotton Rag Paper

Musa acuminata

Gouache on Handmade Cotton Rag Paper

Passiflora edulis

Gouache on Handmade Cotton Rag Paper

Mangifera indica

Gouache on Handmade Cotton Rag Paper

Punica granatum

Gouache on Handmade Cotton Rag Paper

Fig Leaf. 12 paintings

Collage, Gouache on Handmade Cotton Rag Paper

Fig Leaf. A token or flimsy gesture to cover up an act or object that is embarrassing, shameful or distasteful. However, the cover up remains obvious, a ploy concealing a more sinister truth.

Fig Leaf ( 1 of 12)

A young girls shame is the colour of blood. Shame stains red.

Menstruation. Hide it with silence

Incest. Hide it with fatherly love

Rape. Hide it with marriage

Fig Leaf ( 2 of 12)

A young girls shame is the colour of blood. Shame stains red.

Menstruation. Hide it with silence

Incest. Hide it with fatherly love

Rape. Hide it with marriage

Fig Leaf ( 3 of 12)

A young girls shame is the colour of blood. Shame stains red.

Menstruation. Hide it with silence

Incest. Hide it with fatherly love

Rape. Hide it with marriage

Fig Leaf ( 4 of 12)

A young girls shame is the colour of blood. Shame stains red.

Menstruation. Hide it with silence

Incest. Hide it with fatherly love

Rape. Hide it with marriage

Fig Leaf ( 5 of 12)

A young girls shame is the colour of blood. Shame stains red.

Menstruation. Hide it with silence

Incest. Hide it with fatherly love

Rape. Hide it with marriage

Fig Leaf ( 6 0f 12)

A young girls shame is the colour of blood. Shame stains red.

Menstruation. Hide it with silence

Incest. Hide it with fatherly love

Rape. Hide it with marriage

Fig Leaf ( 7 of 12)

A young girls shame is the colour of blood. Shame stains red.

Menstruation. Hide it with silence

Incest. Hide it with fatherly love

Rape. Hide it with marriage

Fig Leaf ( 8 of 12)

A young girls shame is the colour of blood. Shame stains red.

Menstruation. Hide it with silence

Incest. Hide it with fatherly love

Rape. Hide it with marriage

Fig Leaf ( 9 of 12)

A young girls shame is the colour of blood. Shame stains red.

Menstruation. Hide it with silence

Incest. Hide it with fatherly love

Rape. Hide it with marriage

Fig Leaf ( 10 of 12)

A young girls shame is the colour of blood. Shame stains red.

Menstruation. Hide it with silence

Incest. Hide it with fatherly love

Rape. Hide it with marriage

Fig Leaf ( 11 of 12 )

A young girls shame is the colour of blood. Shame stains red.

Menstruation. Hide it with silence

Incest. Hide it with fatherly love

Rape. Hide it with marriage

Fig Leaf ( 12 of 12 )

A young girls shame is the colour of blood. Shame stains red.

Menstruation. Hide it with silence

Incest. Hide it with fatherly love

Rape. Hide it with marriage

MY. Girls vs. MY. Boys. Whatcha Looking At? My Face?

Painted & Potato Printed Gouache on Handmade Cotton Rag Paper

6 Flags

MY. Girls vs. MY. Boys

MY. Boys look at MY. Girls. What do they see? Do we laugh or do we cry?

MY. Girls vs. MY. Boys

MY. Boys look at MY. Girls. What do they see? Do we laugh or do we cry?

MY. Girls vs. MY. Boys

MY. Boys look at MY. Girls. What do they see? Do we laugh or do we cry?

MY. Girls vs. MY. Boys

MY. Boys look at MY. Girls. What do they see? Do we laugh or do we cry?

MY. Girls vs. MY. Boys

MY. Boys look at MY. Girls. What do they see? Do we laugh or do we cry?

MY. Girls vs. MY. Boys

MY. Boys look at MY. Girls. What do they see? Do we laugh or do we cry?

Forbidden Fruit- Part 3- Women, Sex & Botany

My exhibition of all new works ‘Forbidden Fruit’- all new works on paper- was held at Art Space 1, China House in Penang in November & December 2019.

Politician’s, especially male politicians, are often pathetic. Driven by testosterone, ego. They like to stroke themselves into believing they are right. Their words & behavior impact on women the world over. #sorrynotsorry #prizebananas

Men can control the way women see themselves & how they see their own beauty. A man identified flowers using sex organs & now some men want their women to have vulva’s that look like orchids. And doctors will do that? Smell the flowers! Money talks!

#endgenitalmutilation #loveyourvulva #vulvapology

Girls are for sale. Child marriage is legal. Our daughters are being stripped of their mighty soul.

#endchildmarriage

Girls are Seeds. Nurture & Nourish. They grow into Mighty Trees

#girlsareseeds #girlsaremightytrees

A Child is Born of Passion

Chinese Ink on Paper

A child is born of passion

A child an object of passion

A child stripped of passion

A child subject to a violent passion

A child from a crime of passion

A child a victim of passion

A child guilty of passion

A child the reason for passion

A Child Is Born of Passion. Detail

Durian. The King of Fruits. Thorny, ancient fruit native to the jungles of Malaysia. Ignites a primeval instinct, a frenzy, to gorge.

How to Open a Durian.

Trap it firmly between your feet. Penentrate its soft spot with a rigid & blunt knife or chisel. Hammer if necessary. Splay its parts open. The soft creamy parts are revealed for all to see. Plunge your fingers in & gorge on the soft creamy flesh.

Some Male Politicians Think with Their Prize Banana's

Chinese Ink on Paper

Love Me Baby

Chinese Ink on Paper

A husband says ‘I divorce thy non-pink vulva’. Really?!

Don’t get surgery to make your vulva look like an orchid!

Don’t bleach your vulva!

Best rid of this Dick! He doesn’t deserve your vulva!

#sorrynotsorry #vulvapology #colourism

Girls are Seeds- Seed Bank

Black Gouache & Chinese Ink on Paper.

The ‘Girls are Seeds’ Seed Bank Collection were painted to fund raise for the Women’s Centre for Change in Penang. Search for them on Instagram @wccpenang . A non profit non-governmental organization working to eliminate violence against women & children, empowering women & promoting gender equality.

A percentage of proceeds from the sales of these small paintings are donated to WCC. I am continuously adding to this seed bank & donations will be made to WCC for every seed painting sold.

Girls are Seeds

A selection of the painted seeds

Girls are seeds. Nurture & Nourish they grow into mighty trees

Girls are Seeds

A selection of the painted seeds

Girls are seeds. Nurture & Nourish they grow into mighty trees

Girls are Seeds

Gouache & Ink on Paper

Girls are seeds. Nurture & Nourish they grow into mighty trees

Girls are Seeds

A selection of the painted seeds

Girls are seeds. Nurture & Nourish they grow into mighty trees

Girls are Seeds

A selection of the painted seeds

Girls are seeds. Nurture & Nourish they grow into mighty trees

Girls are Seeds

Gouache & Ink on Paper

Girls are seeds. Nurture & Nourish they grow into mighty trees

Girls are Seeds

A selection of the painted seeds

Girls are seeds. Nurture & Nourish they grow into mighty trees

Girls are Seeds

A selection of the painted seeds

Girls are seeds. Nurture & Nourish they grow into mighty trees

Girls are Seeds

Gouache & Ink on Paper

Girls are seeds. Nurture & Nourish they grow into mighty trees

Girls are Seeds

A selection of the painted seeds

Girls are seeds. Nurture & Nourish they grow into mighty trees

Girls are Seeds

Gouache & Ink on Paper

Girls are seeds. Nurture & Nourish they grow into mighty trees

Girls are Seeds

A selection of the painted seeds

Girls are seeds. Nurture & Nourish they grow into mighty trees

Girls are Seeds

A selection of the painted seeds

Girls are seeds. Nurture & Nourish they grow into mighty trees

Girls are Seeds

Gouache & Ink on Paper

Girls are seeds. Nurture & Nourish they grow into mighty trees

Girls are Seeds

A selection of the painted seeds

Girls are Seeds

A selection of the painted seeds

Girls are seeds. Nurture & Nourish they grow into mighty trees

Girls are Seeds

Gouache & Ink on Paper

Girls are seeds. Nurture & Nourish they grow into mighty trees

Girls are Seeds

A selection of the painted seeds

Girls are seeds. Nurture & Nourish they grow into mighty trees

Forbidden Fruit- Part 4- Women, Sex & Botany

My exhibition ‘Forbidden Fruit’ - all new works on paper-was held at Art Space 1, China House in Penang, in November & December 2019. The exhibition is a collection of visuals accompanied by lines of poetry & words.

The Words that accompanied the Visuals in the show: These were my thoughts & writings that came from the practice of writing morning pages. In fact, the whole body of work for this show sprung from my morning pages. I produced all the works on paper for this exhibition in a period of just under 6 months. I’m at an age when I can no longer contain my frustration at what is being said by politicians, their lack of action, & their lack of any kind of reasonable empathy towards the rights of women & children. More often it is their outright misogyny that is so hard to swallow. The way powerful men treat women & children generally, is quite frankly deplorable. More than often women ignore it, flinch & move on. It is really impossible to let some things ‘go over your head’ any longer. I really can’t believe that my daughter has to be subject to treatment, some so much worse, than what I had to put up with as a young woman. How is it getting worse?

The interactive artwork ‘Random Words of Intimacy’ was a really interesting exercise. I requested that women turn my paper dolls over & write words that men they don’t know, have said to them. It is shocking & I was relieved to see men shocked at what their fellow men are verbally subjecting women to. It gave me some hope. We need these Good Men. Women need them to speak out & tell men that they need to be better men. They need to pluck up the courage & speak up against misogynistic men. Women need their help. It takes men & women to make a change.

#sorrynotsorry #womenneedgoodmen #kidsneedsexeducation #motherstalktoyoursons

I’ve included some images in & about the exhibition at Art Space 1, China House, Penang, Malaysia. With thanks to China House for the wonderful collaboration.

I hope in the not too distant future, another show. Forbidden Fruit 2- Capturing Exotics. I’m working on it now during this time of Covid 19. I’ll keep you posted.

Not made for Man

These sketches are the first drawings made for a series of larger scale paintings. They are inspired by a quote by Alfred Russell Wallace about ‘civilised’ man & his attitude & need to ‘want’ & possess all beautiful creatures. Here he refers first to the Birds of Paradise. Read it carefully. ‘The Malay Archipelago.’ Published 150 years ago.

“I thought of the long ages of the past, during which the successive generations of this little creature had run their course — year by year being born, and living and dying amid these dark and gloomy woods, with no intelligent eye to gaze upon their loveliness; to all appearance such a wanton waste of beauty. Such ideas excite a feeling of melancholy. It seems sad that on the one hand such exquisite creatures should live out their lives and exhibit their charms only in these wild inhospitable regions, doomed for ages yet to come to hopeless barbarism; while, on the other hand, should civilized man ever reach these distant lands, and bring moral, intellectual, and physical light into the recesses of these virgin forests, we may be sure that he will so disturb the nicely-balanced relations of organic and inorganic nature as to cause the disappearance, and finally the extinction, of these very beings whose wonderful structure and beauty he alone is fitted to appreciate and enjoy. This consideration must surely tell us that all living things were not made for man. Many of them have no relation to him. The cycle of their existence has gone on independently of his, and is disturbed or broken by every advance in man’s intellectual development; and their happiness and enjoyments, their loves and hates, their struggles for existence, their vigorous life and early death, would seem to be immediately related to their own well-being and perpetuation alone, limited only by the equal well-being and perpetuation of the numberless other organisms with which each is more or less intimately connected.”

'All the Fish in the Sea?'

Over fishing is a major issue. The health of our oceans goes mainly un monitored. What we don’t see we don’t care about. Do we have to fish out all the fish in the sea?

Painted sketch. Gouache & ink on paper with collage.

'The Sounds of the Jungle'

Insects, like all earth’s creatures are in trouble. The use of pesticides, de forestation, industrial agricultural practices all contribute to the silencing of our forests & jungles. In urban areas we barely see any insects, moths or butterflies. If they go who pollinates our trees, vegetables, fruit, food.

Painted sketch. Gouache & ink on paper with collage.

'There are Eyes in this Jungle'

I love being in the jungle but often once in there, there is a distinct feeling of being watched. Is it the spirits? Is it the hidden creatures? It doesn’t matter. The way man is going about poaching, de foresting, planting for food, clearing the jungles for himself only, those eyes will be those of the ghosts & spirits of creatures all left to become mythical things.

Painted sketch. Gouache & ink on paper with collage.

Fish Paintings

Gouache, watercolor, ink, on various handmade papers.

Fish have always been one of my favourite subjects. I used them first in all my textile prints but now have gone on to paint them whenever I have time in between other work or projects. To me they are a symbol of life, vibrancy & joy. Mine are always whimsical & energetic. The seas & reefs I am lucky to dive & snorkel would be nothing without their numbers, colour & pattern. One of my big inspirations.

I am now working on a new series of larger scale paintings entitled ‘An Arrangement of Fish” based on the displays of fish at the markets I visit in Malaysia & Indonesia. But I play with what they lay on. The fish vendors arrange their fish on different surfaces…..sheets of plastic, sacks, colored lino, wooden planks, leaves. To me these layered & stapled together backgrounds are just as important as the fish that are being sold. They help provide a strong sense of the place.

An Arrangement of Fish

The first in a new series of larger scale paintings. 78cm x 67cm. Gouache on handmade cotton rag paper.

Mackeral

Watercolor on paper

Trout

Gouache on paper

Shoal

Gouache on paper

Fish

Gouache on paper

Fish

Ink & watercolor on paper mounted onto canvas board

Fish

Ink on paper mounted onto canvas board

Black & White Fish

Ink on paper mounted onto canvas

Fish

Ink & watercolor on paper mounted onto canvas board

Fish

Ink on paper

Shoal of Fish

Acrylic on canvas. 4’ x 6’.

Red Fish

Mixed media on paper mounted onto canvas. 4’ x 4’

Animal Dream Visions

This animal series is in progress. The visions are based on the instant flash of visual memory that I have of actual circumstance when I have seen or glimpsed these particular animals. The ‘visions’ are etched in my brains visual memory & it is this ‘vision’ that pops into my head when I think of these animals. Each has a particular story. Some of these visions are from very recent memory, while others are those that are recurring from when I was very young. Inspired very much by nature, shapes of leaves and flowers, I often magnify the minute patterns found within them to create tactile textures as a back drop to the animals.

I will add to this collection as each animal vision painting is completed. The aim is to exhibit these paintings only when I have completed the series. Gouache on cotton rag papers.

Vision 1. ‘Running barefoot…..a hare startles me.’

Vision 2. ‘The banana flower nectar raiders.’

Vision 3. ‘Flotsam & jetsam.’

Vision 4. ‘Like moths to a flame.’

Handmade paper, natural dye, ink & watercolor

100% cotton rag handmade papers. I dye these with natural plant dyes such as turmeric, indigo, annatto & mango leaves, then use ink & watercolor for these whimsical spontaneous drawings that have been inspired by things I have seen on my travels in various countries. What I have seen in India, the tropical forests of Malaysia & in the clear coral reefs of Eastern Indonesia have inspired these layered & patterned paintings. Ink, plant dyes, watercolor on handmade cotton rag papers.

Please come see me at the Parallax Art Fair in the Chelsea Town Hall, London. Booth D5. October 20 & 21. 11am-5pm. I’m showing this series with my ‘Fish market’ series.

Flower Pots in Jaipur- Sold

Hanging Hunters

Spring- Sold

Daytime Moths

Zoo Plankton

Fish in a Net

Mackerel Cloud

Mackerel & Bubbles

Colour & Pattern

This is something new but old that I have been working on. I’ve always used the technique of layering colour, pattern, print & collage but these are being done specifically to start working on some large scale all paper pieces. Inspired by the autumn leaf fall, seasonal light & shadow, & the change of colour. The cycle of the seasons. In the same way I work first with bright colors, muting them as I work each layer one on top of the other. In progress. Gouache on paper, printed, destroyed & re-assembled.

Sold

At the Fish Market

Markets are my favourite places to visit at home & when I travel. And, it is the fish markets that I find most fascinating. Its been great to see all my basic sketches made at, or after, visiting local fish markets in Indonesia, Malaysia, UK, Italy, come to life as these colourful small scale paintings. I started these initially to decorate my own kitchen walls.

Its so easy when you live in a big city to just accept ‘fresh’ fish sealed into a polystyrene tray & cling film. Often, there’s just one or two types of fish on offer, & they may be farmed.

When I travel to these ‘by the water’ places, the fish still have their colours, & vendors display them proudly lying on lino, plates, sacks, baskets, stones, banana leaves & colourful sheets. Straight from the sea, river or lake, they come in all shapes & sizes. They still have the life in them, fresh, & you can still thank them for the goodness they impart when you transform them into delicious meals.

Its hard to have the same connection when food comes to you, completely drained of life, sealed in plastic.

My visual diary of the way in which market vendors display their fish for sale, with a dose of colorful whimsy. These are all small scale works. Gouache on watercolor board.

Collage of several paintings

Sold

After My Jungle Walks

This is an on going series of paintings made spontaneously after my walks in the jungle. They are all about the colours & layers of vegetation & pattern in tropical jungles & how I remember them. The jungles are not just green. Gouache on paper. Many of these paintings have found homes.

Sold

Still Life's

My still life’s are made up of an eclectic mix of items from my own collection of items from the places I live & visit. They are nostalgic, whimsical and often linked to things I remember from my childhood. This is the connection I have to these objects. They trigger a memory that lingers in my thoughts. Water colour, gouache on various handmade papers.

The subjects are an amalgamation of objects & scenes that I have seen, (for example, at the markets) but I often change the objects with my own items collected over many years. These lend a personal touch of nostalgia & whimsy to the paintings giving them a direct connection, or trigger, to my own memories.

Sold

A South Korean Sojourne

In 2012 I had the opportunity to be one of two artists in Penang to take part in an artist’s exchange programme in Gwangju South Korea. Forty days in the countryside of Gwangju resulted in this portfolio of paintings. All were painted on the large scale traditional handmade mulberry papers using the wonderful water based Korean pigments. I also started experimenting with my woven paintings on a larger scale. These paintings are a visual diary of what I saw and are a visual expression of some of my gut impressions as I went through the 40 day residency. A wonderful experience in every way.

In the Collection of the Asian Arts Centre Gwangju

Missing

Piemonte Spring

Springtime around my Piemonte home and studio is so inspiring. Nature shows all it’s magic colours and designs. A continuous abundant growth. This series of paintings were/are made while staying in Piemonte during Spring and the turn to summer. Korean water based pigments on handmade mulberry paper/ Gouache on paper.

Flora and Fauna

Flora & fauna have always been the starting point for all my artwork. I grew up in & around tropical jungles & gardens. Wherever I travel or am at home, it is the local flora & fauna that I am drawn to. It is my instant inspiration & I constantly learn new things about nature each time I study & sketch it. Over the years I have painted hundreds of my layered & patterned images of plants & flowers. Most are of gouache & watercolor on paper. Some using acrylic on canvas, whilst others use collage & mixed media.

'My Fathers Tree'

I finished this painting on the 5th anniversary of my fathers death. Its the view of the tree he saw when he looked up & out of the window of his writing/tea drinking/cigarette smoking/bird watching table in Wales. I love this view in all seasons. This was painted with the view in April just before Spring comes forth, there is a morning frost & the vegetation gets is still a bare silhouette. All those gorgeous colors of the Welsh hills, heather & gorse in the background. I miss him a lot.

Watercolor, gouache & charcoal on paper.

Sprites

Sprites & mermaids were childhood dreams of mine. I spent my time playing make-believe that I was a mermaid or jungle sprite. I drew them constantly when I was young & I continue to do so today. They are my fantasies made up of mask like faces, pattern, fish, & tropical foliage. I have always believed that jungle sprites & mermaids are the protectors of the world’s natural places today.

Sold

Women & Censorship

As a woman artist in Malaysia I do baulk at the censorship in art especially in terms of nudity. Our bodies are natural. Why the constant need to try to completely neutralize, cover or eradicate the fact that we have sexual organs & appendages that protrude from our bodies. This set of three paintings were done in 2015 under the working title ‘Not Nudes’. They were done in a bit of hurry & as a reaction to censorship of nudity in art. They were on exhibit at the HIn Bus Depot as part of an exhibition named ‘Mercury’ by all women artists. I then put them away.

I have them out again in my studio & have been working over them again. I feel a need to rework them a bit more. I’ll share the results soon.

These paintings are also getting me thinking more about female bodies & how some men claim, triggers an erotic, pornographic & violent physical reaction in them.

Self Censorship in Paradise

5' x 3.5' Mixed media on Lanaquarelle (640gm) watercolour card. The process. One of the new paintings in the series I am completing "Not Nudes- Paintings with no clothes on". Originally inspired by the seizure of my first subscribed issue of Royal Academy of Arts magazine by the censorship board out of the post office. It contained a few small images of nude paintings- 2 by Egon Schiele, & 2 by other more classic artists. This series has since formed into more of a statement on women's bodies & censorship, violence & attitudes to the natural functions of women's bodies. Each painting is accompanied by a short piece of writing.

Au Naturel

'Au Naturel' Breasting feeding is one of the most natural, instinctual things a mother will do. Feed her child. It is amazing how many people think it is so the opposite. Un-natural, disgusting, something to hide, shameful, offensive. Jeremy Clarkson, a man with huge influence on the behaviour & attitudes of other men, equated breast-feeding with urinating. "It is natural, just like urinating. But when we want to do that, we go to a little room and do it privately." He did a great disservice to all women with this statement. He gave people a clear opportunity to snigger at women nurturing their children, he demeaned the value of 'feeding your child', he totally demeaned the value of women as a whole. Why are some men so offended by the sight of breastfeeding women? Why does it make them so uncomfortable? Why should women feel ashamed of breastfeeding their children in public? Why is something so normal made into such a big deal? The recent TIME magazine cover of a woman breastfeeding her 3 year old son with the tagline "Are you Mom enough?" caused huge controversy. It promoted something many nomadic indigenous peoples still practice today….Breastfeeding on demand. It has made it trendy and renamed this attitude to parenting "Attachment Parenting." The commercial monster of 'milk formula' has continued to demean the value of breastfeeding by undermining the self confidence of new mothers & encouraging mothers to not even try. I breastfed all my 3 kids, at home & at work and wherever I went. The eldest & youngest to about a year, and the middle to about 9 months. I was never asked to move or to stop, or abused in any way. The kids stopped breastfeeding on their own when they naturally decided that they liked better, the homemade solid foods that I made for them.

Camouflage

5' x 3.5' Mixed media on Lanaquarelle (640gm) watercolour card. The process. One of the new paintings in the series I am completing "Not Nudes- Paintings with no clothes on". This painting was inspired by the thought that the viewing of violence seems more acceptable than viewing a woman's body. As I started, it then went on to be more about violence towards women, in particular about a currently ongoing case where a woman was murdered & then blown up in an attempt to hide or camouflage the evil event itself. The lotus is a beautiful flower that each day, grows out of the putrid mud, symbolic perhaps of a young woman struggling in a quagmire of dirt that she somehow could not drag herself out of despite trying & trying, and for us on the outside looking at this crime, hoping that her spirit can somehow keep raising itself out of the pit little by little so that we hold on to her memory & keep trying to clear the mud to find out who pulled her in.

Self Portraits

I do not deliberately go out to paint a self portrait. The vision comes to me when I’m in a certain emotional zone. Something clicks in my head because of what I’m seeing at that moment. Of the paintings I am showing here, three were painted in South Korea, one in Malaysia.

South Korea was an eye opener for me. I went with no expectations & was absolutely besotted with it. The countryside I was placed in was truly beautiful & the agriculture was perfect. The culture & ancient history is mesmerizing. At first I had too much in my head & I could not sleep from dreaming of everything.

Once settled in my studio, the amount of insects, & tree frogs, that came in through the open windows at night was amazing. In the studio if I stayed still long enough, the insects would come land on me. ( This self portrait is now lost. It disappeared after being exhibited in Gwangju.)

I loved eating Kim Chee & ate it everyday. It kept me healthy all through my stay. The stinky bad breathe after, however, did not lay peacefully side by side with the manicured beauty of the agriculture, or the beautiful surgical beauty of the young people.

In Malaysia we are losing too much of our unique natural environment. I often wish that the stars would grant my wish for the plants, animals & insects that I love so much to live side by side with us humans fearlessly.

#artistssupportpledge

Supporting artists & makers.

The idea is a simple on, post images of your artwork on social media to sell for no more than GBP220 each, not including shipping. Anyone can then buy the work. Very time your reach GBP1100 in sales, you pledge to buy another artists work for GBP220.

#artistsupportpledge

Garden Notes- Blue. 2024

Gouache on textured hand made paper

41cm x 31cm (+- 16” x 12”)

Price: RM1200 /£205/USD261/€236.50

P&P inclu: within Malaysia

International Postage: not included

Please DM ( message) me to purchase

This series of 4 paintings on textured hand made paper I bought n Korea, are a composite of painted studies of vegetation I see in jungle & gardens while out of my studio. The range of shapes is astonishing & provide never ending pattern. Black accompanied with ice cream colours.

Garden Notes- Green. 2024

Gouache on textured hand made paper

41cm x 31cm (+- 16” x 12”)

Price: RM1200 /£205/USD261/€236.50

P&P inclu: within Malaysia

International Postage: not included

Please DM ( message) me to purchase

This series of 4 paintings on textured hand made paper I bought n Korea, are a composite of painted studies of vegetation I see in jungle & gardens while out of my studio. The range of shapes is astonishing & provide never ending pattern. Black accompanied with ice cream colours.

Garden Notes- Pink. 2024

Gouache on textured hand made paper

41cm x 31cm (+- 16” x 12”)

Price: RM1200 /£205/USD261/€236.50

P&P inclu: within Malaysia

International Postage: not included

Please DM ( message) me to purchase

This series of 4 paintings on textured hand made paper I bought n Korea, are a composite of painted studies of vegetation I see in jungle & gardens while out of my studio. The range of shapes is astonishing & provide never ending pattern. Black accompanied with ice cream colours.

Garen Notes- Yellow. 2024

Gouache on textured hand made paper

41cm x 31cm (+- 16” x 12”)

Price: RM1200 /£205/USD261/€236.50

P&P inclu: within Malaysia

International Postage: not included

Please DM ( message) me to purchase

This series of 4 paintings on textured hand made paper I bought n Korea, are a composite of painted studies of vegetation I see in jungle & gardens while out of my studio. The range of shapes is astonishing & provide never ending pattern. Black accompanied with ice cream colours.

'!00 Patterns in 100 Days' by Christian Fischbacher with Rebecca Duckett-Wilkinson

The Illustrations for 'To Nourish With Love'

The Water Tigress - Save Wild Tigers

The Pattern Book

Capturing Exotics

The Chinese Zodiac

Forbidden Fruit-Part 1-Women, Sex & Botany

Forbidden Fruit- Part 2-Women, Sex & Botany

Forbidden Fruit- Part 3- Women, Sex & Botany

Forbidden Fruit- Part 4- Women, Sex & Botany

Not made for Man

Fish Paintings

Animal Dream Visions

Handmade paper, natural dye, ink & watercolor

Colour & Pattern

At the Fish Market

After My Jungle Walks

Still Life's

A South Korean Sojourne

Piemonte Spring

Flora and Fauna

Sprites

Women & Censorship

Self Portraits

#artistssupportpledge

Vintage Papers