I Know Where I'm Going
/To mark the launch of this new website I am going to do a series of spot light blogs about individual paintings and the stories behind them. I'll kick things off with I Know Where I'm Going, 60 x 60 cm, oil on canvas.
This was a piece inspired by an analogy made by Grayson Perry in his Reith lectures (2013), where he likened the journey of young artists to choosing a bus route. No matter what the provocation or temptation to change, he emphasized the importance of sticking with it and staying your course. This is something that deeply resonated with me and all the challenges that I have faced on my path.
Here the Ballerina represents the artist. She is suspended in arabesque, at once supported by and tethered to a rooted ‘safety-grip’ tyred base of elephant and bus. She neither flies nor falls, but patiently holds her balance as she continues on her journey. Facing forward or back, in the right or wrong direction, she moves along, keeping her fingers crossed that the bus knows what it's doing!
