Artist Description
I am torn between wanting to live in the city and country simultaneously which leaves me with a sense of feeling unsettled. I often project these emotions onto the animals inhabiting the city who forge a life between the busy traffic and buildings. They appear uncomfortable in their daily lives but are determined to stay living here, a feeling that I often share.
Egyptian geese are a prime example of these such animals, they breed in areas fairly far from water and once their goslings have reached a certain age they walk them along busy streets to parks with ponds or to private pools. It’s a heart-warming sight, seeing these vulnerable birds stopping traffic determined to get to the water.
The goslings in the painting were ones that I photographed at the animal rehabilitation centre CROW, in Durban. Another example of displacement.
The trunks in this painting are a symbol of a number of things for me, the possibility of treasures within and of a journey, both internal and physical. This state of a pending journey brings about a sense of nervous anticipation and uncertainty.
