Together-alone

When I was in Cyprus everybody said it must be wonderful for a painter: blue skies, minarets, palm trees, sunlight glinting on the sea. Well it was, but not in that way. The sunny, warm climate did lift my spirits when I was not falling asleep in my studio because I had forgotten to switch on the air-conditioning. But I paint the human figure and human relationships in interior locations. What entered my work in Cyprus was really the tension between the two communities. In 2004 the crossing points opened and cypriot Greeks and Turks could meet again. There have been many joyful reunions but there is still tension. My human couples in the "red series" "Together-alone" are together in their bodies but apart in their heads. This is the first one (oil pastels, 33 x 46 cms, I think, from 2005) which came out of an unforgettable model session that gave rise to many works. Those characteristic cypriot shutters occur throughout the series ...
a bientot
Jane