The Spa Vase and Loule Bowl
90x90x4cm acrylic on cradled ply panel framed.
 
This painting is part of a new series  of still life created for my solo show " A Sense of Self"
Objects preserve a wealth of significant emotion and connection, serving as physical embodiments of identity. The narratives of these objects project a sense of self while sharing stories of lives lived in other places and times. They hold a physical representation of experience, speaking of familial ties and the story of who we were, who we are, and where we have been.
My first of the series, I painted this one in the studio with the lush green of the paddock and bush in the background. I love blue, it's that simple. The dark blue curvy vase belonged to my husband's ( David) grandparents. John Scott and Helen Dobbin lived in a tiny hamlet of The Spa near Ballynahinch in N. Ireland. The vase was gifted to David by his Aunt Liz when Grandpa died as she knew we loved blue. I wish I knew how the vase came to be at The Spa. It is one of the few things the family have from the Ulster side of the family. Loule in Portugal holds a special place for the Evans family. Our lovely friends Charlie and Hilary Holt live part-time in Casa Tapiola, just outside the market town of Loule in the Algarve. Charlie and Hilary are both artists, David met Charlie when he was 19 at a workshop in Chichester in the south of England. They are my son Caleb's godparents. We have stayed at Casa Tapiola many times, it's a very special place.Hilary has a huge collection of local Portuguese ceramics at home in the UK and Portugal. I have bought ceramics on each visit to Casa Tapiola from the covered market in Loule. I now have all the pieces my parents bought on their trips to Portugal as well. Most of the ceramics are traditional terracotta, I chose this bowl for its beautiful blue.