Artist’s statement -
My domestic environment has been an important influence on the subject of my art making. I have used lilies from my garden as a catalyst for my work. All stages of the lily life cycle have an intrinsic beauty. I have captured each stage and given them a permeance that is not allowed for in nature.
My large work Three Graces (a triptych) has a quality of a winter scape. At the same time you are able to see the seasonal changes from seed to bulb, new growth, the flower, the decaying of seed heads and finally the seeds emerge ready to embark on a new journey.
This can be seen as a metaphor for creative progression and has been a strong catalyst for my own artistic journey. There have been manifestations of the Three Graces from the classical painter Phidias representing the liberal arts, to the harbinger of spring in Botticelli’s Primavera painting. I like the Greek version as it personifies beauty, grace and all aspects of human existence as well as being goddesses of nature.
Floral art has, for a variety of reasons, been considered as subject matter for women. This, as a result, may influence the reading of my work. In expressing my work I have used a contrast in scale with smaller, more intimate work that references a domestic scale. The larger the scale, that is considered a public scale, could also be heroic in nature.
I derive a simple joy from being able to sit quietly in my garden and witness colour, form, texture and ever changing cyclic phases.
Ephemera
→ Sandra Littlejohns-Clark: Three Graces, 2003, exhibition card
→ Sandra Littlejohns-Clark: Three Graces, 2003, exhibition card