A certain amount of reverie is good, like a narcotic in discreet doses. It soothes the fever … and produces in the mind a soft, fresh vapour that corrects the all too angular contours of pure thought.
Victor Hugo
In thinking we make sense of the world in which we live; today more than at many earlier times there is much information and many unwieldy notions to corral into some shape within our psyche. Devoting time to this endeavour is time well used yet rarely do we give up space to be still and let our thoughts meander.
These paintings demand this of us, the frank gaze of each persona holding us in a moment in time, urging us to reflect. Behind the liquid eyes, closed lips and blushed skin we sense an active mind and a beating heart. These characters can seem to reach inside and pull out memories, stir up dreams and cultivate contemplation.
Irene Jones’ seemingly simple paintings are the result of a lengthy relationship with the panel and the paint and the face she seeks to capture and of course a lifetime filled with quiet reverie.
The exhibition has a love review in Devon Life, take a read here:
The exhibition features sculpture by Dean Patman of beasts inspired by heraldry.