Thank you so much to Silk Purse Gallery in West Vancouver for hosting my solo show, All Together Now, from September 3rd to the 22nd. I showed watercolour and pen works as well as an art book.
The pieces explored the possible dualities contained within a person, playing with Carl Jung’s idea of the “shadow self” through visual metaphors and imagery. In a way this series was a kind of self exploratory therapy as I sorted through my own self definition, expectations left over from my youth, and definitions by others. My own departure from what I always thought (and was told) I should be, as well as the muddiness of figuring out what kind of person I was and where I fit as I struggled with some heavy feeling mental health issues, propelled me into considering what sorts of possible versions I (and others) might contain if we were not a fixed self.
I ended up with a kind of multi page self portrait that I also believe could mirror the experiences of others. It was nice to finally share this work in an exhibit format and watch people relate to the work, since I was hoping to illustrate states that would touch on the universal. Everyone feels disconnected sometimes, or fearful or trusting, generous or selfish.
I did one day of painting in the gallery, working on a sort of stream of consciousness abstract watercolour. I have been working on these lately as a sort of meditation, trying not to get too hung up on the end result.
roz macLean 