Chlorophyll & H2O at St Andrew’s Mews
HARRIET MACAREE on her new exhibition of paintings, drawings and collages
The title hints at recurring themes in my work, either celebrating our planet’s green oases or marvelling at the extraordinary power of water: to irrigate, nourish and give life – or to flood, erode and destroy.
Cherry Blossom Path
Chlorophyll: that miraculous green pigment that allows plants to create energy through photosynthesis. And H2O, that compound, hydrogen and oxygen. Water has been flowing through most of my work in recent years in seas, rivers, waterfalls, lakes and swimming pools. If I see water, I want to jump in – unless, of course, it’s just been polluted with raw sewage.
A sewage flood, courtesy of Southern Water, turned my first taste of creative freedom (after retirement) into a nightmare of 24/7 salvage work: daily chasing of the Water Board, loss adjustors, insurers, deep cleaners, builders. Nine months later, there are still outstanding insurance claims, and adjustments needed to an electric anti-flood pump. The destructive power of blackwater is staggering.
I finally escaped this spring to see amazing torrents of fresh turquoise water racing through the alpine valleys of Japan, pouring down mountains in sparkling cascades, gliding transparently over rounded boulders. In New Zealand I saw gigantic sapphire blue lakes, deep ultramarine seas and the mysterious dark indigo waters of Milford Sound, shot with white waterfalls. These are the magical sights I am now beginning to process and respond to.
This show is an assorted collection of paintings, drawings and collages from recent years, stretching across continents in their inspiration. My selection is based on earth, water and sky, uniting threads of land, river and seascape.
I was just beginning a series of responses to my travels when David Sunney knocked on my door to offer me a gallery in St Andrew’s Mews this summer, in a relaunch of several units.
Check St Andrew’s Mews opening times standrewsmews.co.uk Harriet MacAree opening event: 2 August 2024 11 a.m
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