Final Online exhibition painting - Chardikala to the power of 5

Chardikala (to the power of 5)

This is the last of the paintings that I had prepared for the group exhibition I was to be a part of over the last two weeks before things went a little pear shaped. Pear shaped happens a bit apparently.

There is still an exhibition going on at Platform72 with some lovely artists involved, so pop in to Atchison street in St.Leonards if you are around and show them some love. 

Meanwhile, the paintings that were to be exhibitedfeature on my instagram and blog over the past week, and if you are interested you can read through and learn their stories. Painting stories is something that has been on the edge of my painting periphery for some time, and crystalised for me as something I needed to do as a way of understanding my own connection to the global south, and places that have been impacted by Colonialism. So each of these paintings, of these stories, is somehow born of my experiences and connection. 

The Painting above is Chardikala (to the power of 5). 

Elephants have meaning in many cultures. For me, the strong associations are with Africa and India, places I have visited, or have friend and family connections to. I always think of the quiet power and strength of these animals, a kind of resilience in the face of humanity, and the wild.
I recently heard of a Sikh expression,  which is one about relentless optimism, even in the face of difficult times and adversity and somehow it resonated for me, like a mantra, a way to live our lives. It seemed only natural to use the elephant to tell the story, or explore the message of Chardikala.

This Chardikala painting is  of 5 elephants, relentlessly plodding with their large load of rocks, despite the weight.  In the midst of the chaos that this year is presenting globally, I feel like we must all be these elephants, we must all be endlessly optimistic, finding joy where we can.

I hope you have enjoyed my online exhibition of this series of paintings. I've certainly had fun, and it has inspired me to do this more often. Each painting will be made available in the Strongsoutherly shop (see link above).  The paintings are professionally stretched and either on Canvas or Linen. They are painted with Atelier Interactive and Golden paints, and are varnished with a matt varnish from Golden paints. Each painting is sold ready to hang with drings and wire, however once you get them home and have them up on the wall you may decide you want to take them to the framers, and of course that works too!

Meanwhile, stay tuned for more art and stories...you never know what's next.