Collection: Ruth Christie

Artist's statement:

My work harks back to historical artists, techniques and eras that I find myself drawn to from my own English heritage. Despite this interest in the past, it is clear through these tableaux that this sort of sampling of tastes and textures of different times is only possible in the internet age. In a sea so vast it is easy to become lost and overwhelmed by inspiration.

Through experimentation with impasto, different substrates, chiaroscuro and mark-making, I have been gradually winnowing away the techniques and subjects that do not feel fitting.

What remains as a perennial subject throughout my work is feminine pursuits. These may be the literal interests - sewing and needlework, poetry or floristry – represented through the fabrics, flowers, and folios in my still life. They could also be the emotional concepts like warmth, sorrow or contentment, that these pursuits serve as a balm to.

More recently, I have begun to move beyond depicting my interests through still life and into self-portraiture. Through this process, my recent works reflect a burgeoning vulnerability in seeing myself as the focal point of my own paintings.

Contemporary, yet bygone.