Life's Perspective

Digital collage

Life's Perspective tells the story of an elderly woman who discovered a love of flowers and beautiful things in childhood. She once dressed her hair with blooms; over time, and under the weight of other obligations, that enthusiasm faded. The painting follows her life from beginning to end. First we meet the joy of her childhood and her energy for what lay ahead. Then, as the years and their pressures accumulate, the passion turns into a dark and hidden memory. Gloomy lines and dark colours gradually erase the early beauty, yet her eyes keep their hope. Her gifts have grown faint but they have not gone; they remain beneath the surface of her life. What we have lived and what we have done stays in front of our eyes for good. The closing image, simple in its symbolism, says that we all carry talents of our own. Even where those talents look dim or obscured to other people, they are an inseparable part of who we are. Turn inward, and they can still light a life.