Emma Douglas - Drawing On

About

This exhibition is about my son Cato; the number of days he lived, my memories of him and his legacy. In the layers of painted words, carved names, intricate threads and colourfulgrids, I remember Cato in different ways. At times I dwell on the fragility of these materials. With sculptures constructed fromfeathersand twigs I want toconjuremoments of intimacy andreflection.Otherworks act to render memories with more permanence, solidifying the constant passing of time, as thousands ofsmall squares makeup a painting,thousands of days make a life.At a distance the past can seem impossible to return to, just as my paintings when viewed from afar shimmer almost out of focus. Yet, when approached and each colour, each day is seenas an individual moment, a life can be viewed for what it is, a collection of tender instances; days atschool, hospital visits, familyholidays, everyday lived experiences.Just as my artworks use numbers and words, colours and repetition, I remember in a similar way, focusing on days, journeys and conversations.          

It takes time to make my paintings and sculptures, just as it takestime to reflect on events. This exhibition is a collection of reflections and records, thoughts and feelings. Some of the sculptures were made with found objects,which hold within them a closeness to Cato’s life. His coat, bedding and cot arebrought to the foreground asartistic material, just as the energy of Cato’slife is displayedand celebrated.     

I hope that my art is universal, as everyone is touched by death during a lifetime. This is my way of remembering and marking Cato’s life in an accessible, different and important way.