For this year’s Hidden I am sharing my lockdown project of painting birds. These are imagined birds revealing lockdown thoughts and emotions.
When Covid – 19 changed the world it took me a long time before I could produce artwork. I still used my hands: cooking and upholstering a chair but it took a while to make artwork that made sense in these challenging times. Eventually inspired by @markbeldan’s use of heavenly St Armand coloured paper I was able to bring together two threads of my work. I combined naive paintings of birds that I had last painted in 2005 and my backdrop paintings. From the large backdrop paintings I was able to bring pattern, colour and the use of matt and metallic contrasts to backdrop my birds. When I had previously painted birds I was yet to find my place in the world and through these birds I was able to express emotions and desires that otherwise I could not.
These lockdown paintings bring together a variety of inspiration: Frida Kahlo, Indian miniatures, Craigie Aitchinson, Alma Thomas, Gustav Klimt, Bjorn Wiinblad to name a few.
As we are vaccinated and emerging out of lockdown it seems to me that these birds have become mementos of this extraordinary time.
www.nerysmathian.com | @nerysmathias
