Christine Onward’s MAGICAL JOURNEYS, exhibition at Gloucester Gallery — portrait

WITH NO DEGREE OF SEPARATION, self-portrait touched by magics of the sea 0

Sometimes I think myself as a continuation of the ocean.

I feel as if a part of me has decided to pour endlessly toward the calling of waves, and in response, the waves return to me in colours and ethereal energy.

And in all these, the inner someone, perhaps still me:

The happy me, the little me, the dreaming me, the one whose roads have not yet been darkened by the sadness of the world is coming out in songs of summer flowers, daring boats and dancing fish.

WITH NO DEGREE OF SEPARATION is about me. I painted the little girl, hidden inside, dressed in the golden colours of the sun. And the sea is a part of her, flowing with the tide. And with her smile, she wants to bring the joy back to the world.

Should you perhaps allow your soul to smile too?

About THE OTHER ME, story and the making 0

The story of THE OTHER ME started with the idea of a portrait I wanted to create for Newcastle's Kilgour Prize. I imagined painting a goddess of the sea with a peaceful, dreamy look. In the background she is guarded by the ghostly presence of a school of fish, an impression of the dreams she bears or a flutter of her thoughts. 

When it felt finished, I hung the painting on a wall and glanced at it from time to time. The feeling that there was more to this portrait than I could explain grew every day. She was somehow talking to me and there was no way I could understand what she was saying. 

Image: THE OTHER ME, original art by Christine Onward 

 

But one day, from the corner of my eye, I saw my mother's face watching me from the painting. 

 

And I remembered then a night from my childhood in Romania. It was a cold room, with frosted windows. My sister's face rests on one side of the pillow, and my mother's on the other side. She pulls us closer to her and covers us in so many blankets, and on top of all that she adds her fur coat. 

 

Mother's eyes are closed. We should sleep too.

 

The fur tickles my nose. The moonlight shines through the frozen flowers on the windows. Its rays rest for a while on my mother's face. I want to grab them, catch them in my hand..., but maybe she is already asleep.

 

We shouldn't wake up goddesses at night...they might start, again, to shiver. 

 

From this collection you can also see:

MAGICAL JOURNEYS - limited edition - art book by Christine Onward

Postcard- THE OTHER ME. Original art print by Christine Onward

ANGEL UNDER THE MOONLIGHT - original art decoration, painted rock by                                                                  Christine Onward

 

MAGICAL JOURNEYS, opening day and exhibition information 25

Starting with the 3rd of February 2022 Gloucester Art gallery hosts my first solo exhibition called MAGICAL JOURNEYS.

MAGICAL JOURNEYS is about connecting yourself with the inner you, with the innocent voice of the child inside who still has a lot of stories to tell, songs to sing and dreams to paint.

 

MAGICAL JOURNEYS includes a collection of canvas works as well as painted rocks all created in a unique folk-naif style.

 

Photo: collage of some of the works on rock and canvas to be exhibited during the exhibition

 

"MAGICAL JOURNEYS is about connecting yourself with the inner you, with the innocent voice of the child inside who still has a lot of stories to tell, songs to sing and dreams to paint".

 

The opening day for this event is 5th of February 2022 12 pm at Gloucester Art Gallery. There will be light snacks and drinks as well as small gifts with painted rocks for everyone attending. 

You are also invited to take part into creating a common work of art that will be displayed in the gallery all throughout the event.

Looking forward to meeting you there,

Christine