PEN REID

At Home & Hidden Shells

Artist Statement

My intention is to draw the viewer in with beauty to discover, close up, that there is an

underlying strangeness, a narrative that speaks of a complex relationship with the

natural world. The work presents spaces of nurture and security, exploring the

domestic and the outdoor space, often depicting both in the same painting. There is an

interest in the home as a feminine space: that is, safe and seemingly reliable, but at the

same time a place of restriction and interdependency. There is a delicate membrane

between indoors and out, wildness and containment. Longings and unmet desires are

buried deep underground, plants encroach and invade, and oversized trees loom on the

boundary. Animals and birds are skirting the edges of the narrative, referencing folklore

and myth, calling the spirit outdoors, towards freedom and a deeper connection with

collective consciousness. I use oil paints on canvas or found objects, building a surface to break down with a painting often made up of many half-revealed layers. Varnish and thinners are used to create controlled accidents of transparency and texture.