Southbank Bristol Arts

'At Sea Level'
Mixed media
₤50

This image recalls the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina and the serious racial issues that still divide many places in the United States. A dark house teeters precariously under the heavy torrents of rain and is on the verge of collapsing into the debris below. Homecomings for thousands of people vanished.

'Coming Home to Totterdown'
Oil on board
₤250

It is the familiar everyday scenes of our home that we long for when we return from a long journey. Such as the unique character of Totterdown, with its brightly coloured houses and steep hills, which we have seen a thousand times and took for granted when we lived there.

'Angels Dream of the Sea'
Watercolour
₤600

Nothing can be quite as beautiful as a sleeping child. The title describes a child asleep in bed, dreaming of something far away. Protected by a secure and loving home, the child is able to imagine itself in new and exciting situations, and to dream of the big wide world "outside". The picture is created by combining a child's drawing with realistic watercolour painting.

'Fly'
Graphite
₤95

I live in a house seemingly alone. However I am not the only inhabitant. I share it with a variety of other creatures, which for some, may live their whole lives from birth to death without ever leaving the confines of my home. This picture shows a small study of one of my fellow tenants found lying on my bedroom window sill. Rest in peace.

'Seagulls'
Acrylic
₤220

One definition of home is your place of origin. I grew up by the sea; a place of comfort and where I feel at ease. Seagulls remind me of this. Living in Bristol I am still surrounded by these birds. For some people they may be considered an irritant but for me they represent a warm and pleasant feeling of home.

'Shoot Out at White Rock'
Film; duration approximately 15 minutes
NFS

Growing up in the late 1940s had many disadvantages, but with the adults so preoccupied with the austerity of the times, children had a lot more freedom than they have today. My home was the Chew Valley and the Mendip Hills were our 'backyard'. Here is a sample of one of the many adventures we had in those blue remembered hills.

'Untitled 2'
Photograph
₤80 framed

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'Untitled 3'
Photograph
₤80 framed

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'The Return of Odysseus'
Mixed media on canvas
₤275

My paintings are about returning, arriving and waiting – all states of 'homecoming'. The word nostalgia means 'homesickness'. We long to return to the past, to the warmth and acceptance, to a memory of pleasure, to be enfolded by recognition. Sometimes we do not know what we will find when we return home, especially after a long time. To loving arms or desecration?

'Please Don't Step on the Mat'
Mixed media; Coir matting, bricks, glass neon tubing, kiln-formed glass barbed wire
₤725

Sharp contrasts can be drawn between the almost exponential expansion of slums and the development of private gated communities. Fences, barbed wire and security cameras surround homes in an attempt to make the inhabitants feel safe. Alternatively, the 'architecture of fear' can be viewed as an expensive cage with barriers keeping the residents locked in. I focused on this paradox and began to explore the contradictions using glass.