Longing

At the moment, I am fascinated by the English word “seabed.”

Or perhaps it isn’t so much the word itself that fascinates me, but the associations it brings with it.

I thought about the seabed when I was on a swimming holiday in Croatia recently, training for my Channel Relay swim next year.

I was swimming in calm, clear water, still learning to swim front crawl. But I felt safe. There were no waves, no strong currents, and none of the rocks and submerged formations that I am so aware of when swimming here in St Leonards-On-Sea.

With my face in the water, I could simply look down. And there it was: the seabed.

I felt a kind of wonder and gratitude at being able to look into the homes and beds of all the tiny creatures living beneath me. A whole little world going about its business, mostly unseen.

I often return to that place in my mind.

Perhaps that is why, when I painted this painting, I called it Longing.

It is based on a remembered experience, but it is also about something I find myself longing for more broadly: a sense of connection with something real, natural and tangible in a world of screens and instability.

Another inspiration for the painting was the Rococo style.

Rococo emerged as a response to the darker, heavier Baroque period. Its forms often borrowed from nature: shells, flowers, flowing curves and organic shapes - and its pastel colours and lightness created a sense of air, movement and playfulness.

To me, Rococo has a sweetness and almost childlike sense of joy. It feels curious rather than serious. Light rather than heavy.

I found myself wanting to create something very textural and light yet soothing and grounding.

For me, Longing is ultimately about that feeling.

A longing for wonder.

For playfulness.

For something real beneath the surface.

And perhaps, simply, for the feeling of being completely present in the moment.

'Longing' avaliable from my webshop.

If you have any questions please let me know.

Warmest wishes

Kirsten