A Continuous Thread

I returned to my art practice in 2020 and for the last year I have been painting carnival dancers, in different positions, different numbers and different colours.  It is not the only subject matter I paint but it is the one that keeps cropping up.  Why?

I understand that I am pulled towards the movement, energy and vibrancy of the moment of this subject matter. I take photographs of live shows and use them as references for my work.  Big loose brush strokes, often stencilled flowers, sometimes collage and pen.  Layer upon layer of colour and marks, a very physical and emotional output from me and I just can’t seem to stay away.

The question of why has been nagging at me.  Then, the other day I was unpacking some paintings that had been in storage and out popped the 21st birthday present, from me to my husband.  What was it?  Well, it was a painting on paper that I painted over 40 years ago and the subject was carnival dancers - huh, I had totally forgotten about this work and hadn’t noticed the link to the paintings that are turning up on my canvases now.

A little history of me, if you can bare it! Forty years ago I was studying textile design in Huddersfield, a Mecca for textiles.  In my final year, I majored in rug and print design and the topic was, drum roll please - yes, you guessed it, carnival dancers.  I had taken loads of photographs of a floorshow that was a weekly event at the Plantation Restaurant Barbados, which no longer exists, unfortunately.   I used the photos to create paintings, drawings, experimented with three dimensional work and kept magnifying the mark making until I could put together a group of really typical 80’s designs. 

Nothing has changed, the same feelings that drew me to the colour and the movement of the many ladies dancing across the stage, is what energises me today.   Yes, my style has changed and is changing but the need to capture the shape and the mood and emotion lives on.  What I am working on now is different of course, but the feeling is so much stronger.  It feels like a deep need for me to respond to the movement, excitement and to capture a single moment of flow and the thread continues forty years on. How amazing is that! I think we all have things that we are drawn to for who knows what reason but it has taken me a while to see it.

I think if I dig deeper the dancers are the link to my home of Barbados and at 13 I left for school in the UK. One thing led to another and I returned to live 45 years later. I believe my investment in painting these vibrant women is because they are the essence of my childhood. See more in my latest Newsletter.

I have a few examples in my shop both large and small.   If you are interested in anything please email me at amandadakinart@gmail.com and I will be happy to answer any questions.

I hope you enjoy my work.

Thanks for joining,

Amanda