Kindred by birth and in spirit, Irene and Jay have rarely shown their work side by side. Their painting and sculpture appears contrasting at first yet coming together to exhibit, echoes resound. Imagery of bluebirds, windows and openings, skies and stitching link the two, carrying particular meanings for each of them. 

Jay reflects on the histories which weave through the fabric of objects, architecture and images. She looks ahead too, seeing the signals to future environmental collapse. Using collage and motifs of technical distortion she expresses a confusion as the present uncomfortable realities mingle with the familiar forms and traditions of the past. 

Irene’s paintings evidence her love of Elizabethan portraiture, of history, drama and costume. Working intuitively her portraits emerge slowly from the paint. On first appearance historical, they actually reveal a 21st century sensibility and present a cohort of strong women. Concerned with the perennial issues of human life; love, loss, deceit, desire and belonging, Irene affirms the continuity that exists within the passage of time.