Inside Blues (40x40cm with 3cm depth)
**Words by Amber L-J**
It is safe to say that this year has been like no other.
My home has been a haven from the invisible enemy which lurks outside these four walls. As a household of normally busy schedules, that chaos of general life has slowed down considerably. With Christmas approaching, this would typically be our annual moment of togetherness. But this year I am thankful, as this small moment has stretched over months of national lockdowns and tier systems. Whatever hardships have been faced, they have been faced as a family.
With no stressful commute each morning, I no longer rely on a booming alarm but wake up at the first sign of light. I love the peaceful innocence of mornings, and the potential of what the day may bring, however limited.
My festive and fluffy socks muffle the sound of my feet down the stairs, so not to wake my snoozing family. I see the remnants of the night before, and with the kettle at a dull roar, I fill the sink and get to work. My soapy hands squeak over the dinner plates.
As I lift the plates from the sink to dry them, I look upward and am dazzled by the golden sunlight seeping into my kitchen. I am half-asleep dreaming of the world outside, post-pandemic. The high whistle of a rather impatient kettle presses on for some time before I realise.
I sit down and switch on the television for company. As I watch the morning broadcast, I clutch the warmth of fresh coffee to my chest, lifting my once-heavy heart.
With the rest of the world awakening to the news of a vaccination, this has been the most memorable moment in a year that, to most, would be one to forget.
**Article continued on Page 2**
‘Inside Blues’, painted in 2014, was exhibited not only at the Harborough Museum, Market Harborough, but also the 78 Derngate Gallery in Northampton. Interestingly, the second location was also Lisa’s first ever solo exhibition, ‘Shades of an English Life’. It lasted over a three-month period, debuting in July 2014.
Inside Blues: ‘Shades of an English Life’ Exhibition at the 78 Derngate Gallery, Northampton
Whilst advertising the exhibition on social media, the 78 Derngate Gallery stated:
“If you have a fondness for fowl or fabulous flowers, Lisa Timmerman’s beautiful summer exhibition is [an] opportunity to see, and perhaps buy, one of her wonderful paintings”.
With regards to ‘fowl’ and ‘flowers, this painting could be considered an anomaly; Although it is clearly a study of light and shadow, much like Lisa’s other paintings, it stands out in terms of subject matter. Regardless, in depicting the flooding yellow sunrise in this painting, Lisa furthers her exploration of light and feeling:
“They say, ‘paint what you know’ and me and this kitchen sink go way back! […] The way the light came in a couple of weeks ago had to be captured. It turned my pale grey kitchen & white sink into fifty shades of blue & purple”.
At the time of painting, Lisa’s husband and sons were outside whilst Lisa was inside. Her artistic solitude inverts the idiom, “on the outside, looking in”, which has become a universal experience during the numerous lockdowns in the United Kingdom to fight COVID-19. Being an ‘insider’, rather than an ‘outsider’ enjoying the lovely sunshine, has caused the resultant ‘blues’.
However, this painting is also a fixed a moment in time for us to reflect and appreciate the beauty of something as domestic and mundane as the kitchen sink. Objects, including a frying pan and plate, serve as a reminder that the kitchen is also a creative, culinary space As Lisa asserts, it important to observe and appreciate the little things:
“Beauty is all around us, isn’t it, if we have the luxury of time to look!”
#78Derngate #Kitchen #ArtExhibition #2020 #creativepeople #Interiors #solitude #EnglishLife #vaccine #optimism #happiness #pandemic #interior #isolation #coronavirus #English #uplifting #creativewriting #artforsale #home #Art #creativespace #creativewriters #Painting #Exhibition #interiordesign #Christmas #artfinder #family #covid19 #originalpainting #lockdown
Comments