lessons

installation, watercolor on handmade paper, 2022

lessons are nine watercolour paintings on 8.5 x 11-inch sheets of handmade flax and abaca paper. Each painting features a different colour scheme and has a handwritten word that appears at the bottom right-hand side of the column. The installation is complementary to FULLJOY and the words in lessons appear in the poem. The pieces are an outright expression of joy with the brightly coloured columns. There is levity and depth to the paintings – the initial strokes and decisions were spur of the moment but the work to refine each piece involved thought and consideration. There are moments when the painting reflects light from the iridescent pigments and moments when the opaque paint cracks and the handmade paper tries to show through. The nine words are: RETURN, WANT, TRUST, TRUE, DIVINE, ENOUGH, UNLEARNING, CHANGING, BECOMING