I painted my grandmother standing in front of her house in 2017, the place she lived in for over sixty years. Of all the things I’ve painted, her house was my favourite subject. It held so many memories. I remember returning home to visit the family and feeling drawn to paint it once more. It was another cold day in Ballarat.
Wearing gloves, I set up outside with my favourite medium at the time: soft pastels and oil pastels. I’d been deeply inspired by Edgar Degas and his use of mixed media. I sealed a sheet of masonite, laid down textured layers with acrylic paint, let them dry, then worked over them with soft pastels, fixing each layer as I went. Finally, I applied oil pastel on top, pushing and blending colour into the surface.
Then, at just the right moment, I asked Nanna to step outside and stand in front of her house. It was cold, but she stood there quietly for a little while. I didn’t render her in detail. I wanted her presence to merge with the house, not as something separate from it, but as something belonging to it. As important as the home itself.
Feel free to check out other versions of the house:
Title: Where Time Lives (2017)
Size: 45cm (height) x 60cm (width)
Medium: oil pastel on board
Frame: Unframed
AUD
