The Trust Company

Following is a selection of images from this year’s exhibition.

Claire Busuttil Bridge, Bath

“I started this self portrait because I’ve been wanting to say something about how I feel about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and about wars and conflict in general. The emotions I feel are overwhelming and yet the horror of it all is so psychologically and emotionally removed from me that the events play out on some stage, a chessboard, with “toy soldiers”, moved about by unseen hands. Like many on the globe, there’s a sense of emotional inertia in how to respond to war and terrorism – a sense of powerlessness of the individual and suppression of any kind of response other than the most deadly. Apathy and in-action.

This self portrait directly refers to David’s “Death of Marat”, yet perhaps as he did also, it more honestly references Michelangelo’s “Pieta”, the Christ figure held in the arms of his Mother. All that grief, sadness and longing for redemption. A juxtaposition of the polarities of tyrant and savior. Hard to know which is which when we look to the leaders of our current times.

What the work became, through the painting of self, was something else.

Silence.

Movement surrounds her. Sounds. The sounds of evening and insects and light outside the window. The sounds of darkness descending, of rustling silk and satin. The cacophony of gunfire and war, the “thunk’ of glass on wood. Spilled wine splashing. Of metal taps and liquid lapping. But She is silence and stillness. Just as black absorbs all light - she absorbs all sound into herself.  She falls into the gap. Surrendered. She is a deep unmoving pool. She is the soul, revealing itself. Infinite Silence.

In this place, Peace is born.”

Julie Dowling, Wudjula Yorgah (White Woman)

“This portrait is of Lady Sheila Cruthers, who is an important woman in my life because of all her support to me from the beginning of my career right up until today. Her kind words of encouragement have always been given as a friend and taken by me as coming from an elder .

In the Nyoongar language, ‘Wudjulah’ means a white person but also is translated as a ghost of our ancestors. A Yorga is our word for a woman. By naming Lady Cruthers as a Wudjula Yorga I strongly refer to her as a significant advocate for Aboriginal issues through the support of my work and her long time commitment to female artists in general. This painting is a token of my respect for her.”

Prudence Flint, A Fine Romance #18

“I wanted this self portrait to be a homage to the particular history of the female painter. I wanted to evoke the worlds of painters such as Clarice Beckett and Gwen John, and the Virginia Woolf character Lily Briscoe, in To The Lighthouse. Because painting in western culture has been historically a male dominated pursuit it seemed important that the female figure embody a defiant, independent internal liveliness. I chose colours pale blue and lemon because of their trancendant qualities."

Pollyxenia Joannou, Mr and Mrs Reddin

“After completing Mr & Mrs Reddin, I was taken aback by the apparent seriousness of the portrait, yet, amused by the irony of its formality.  The irony springs from the actual nature of a marriage which is anything but formal and contained.  Marriages are like paintings; the beginnings are planned but the outcome is anybody’s guess.”

Eugenie Lee, Stay For Awhile, Adam

"My dear kind hearted friend, come on in, stay around and keep me company, I’ll accommodate you as well as I can.

Won’t you play a tune for me and here my tree will shine. You don’t mind a couple of audiences, do you?
 
I enjoy painting portraits of people, surrounding them with their personal interests and passions aside from their everyday job. In this case with Adam, his personal passions that I wanted to express onto canvas were his talent as a musician as well as his love of surfing. I’ve combined these two elements, with a couple of my interests, in particular art which maps my journey through the subconscious realm and a confined space as a theatre sets.”
 

Sarah Anne Malone, Self Portrait at 5am

 

“This painting is a bit of an unusual one for me as I did it in 15 minute increments at usually 5am in the morning. That’s just what happens when you have a two year old at home with you full time. During the day I would prop it up on top of the fridge, away from the action to assess its progress. So to see it now outside my flat is quite funny for me. It’s quite a worked on painting, an observation, a quieter moment in time. I do really like the Gwen John self portraits, and I had that book propped up on the fridge as well. I particularly like paintings that are gastrula in a really subtle way, Lucien Freud is a good example of this even the fingernails or hairs are subtle and interesting.”

Alex Thorby, Laraine in her Studio

"Laraine and I are friends, both of us are artists and mothers. Laraine asked me if I could paint her portrait, she had been sick with cancer, and this felt to her, a way to begin the process of healing. I could feel the significance of the moment, as she sat amongst her paintings, looking a little bit unsure, her head bald, after chemo treatment. I wanted to capture Laraine’s elegance and beauty, and she said it felt good to have her spirit painted at that time."