THE PLANTER’S DAUGHTER

PAINTINGS BY MARISSA WEATHERHEAD

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3RD - 31ST AUGUST 2024

This series of paintings has evolved over several years working and reworking images inspired by the garden I planted. The paintings seek to evoke an atmospheric and expressionistic response to the garden but are not a literal interpretation of it.
The garden has long been an inspiration to artists and the Garden of Eden is no exception. As stated in the book of Genesis it “was planted by Lord God” and has been depicted in many ways as a place of paradise, beauty and abundance.
Gardens today are increasingly important for helping maintain wildlife and we are more aware of the health benefits of being in a garden and interacting with nature. The garden I planted is maturing and a constant source of enjoyment and wonder. It was very overgrown a few years ago and has taken a lot of love and care to allow new plants to flourish. It still requires a huge amount of attention and nurturing, it is not clipped and manicured, just maintained enough to allow space for plants to flourish and for me to wander through it or work on my paintings in it.
All the paintings in this exhibition have either started or found resolution physically in my garden. They are colourful and textured, inspired by the ongoing change of foliage and colourful blooms. they observe the change from darks to light the shapes and forms that are made in the garden from the leaves, bushes and garden furniture Due to the constant change found in a garden I have reworked the images several times with different areas of focus and attention, adding layer upon layer to find a resolution that has an emotional and expressionistic response which I feel and hope reflects the happiness and beauty my garden gives me.