The human quest to compile family albums has inspired my practice. We seek to place ourselves in a chronology of relationships, past and present, in order perhaps to understand our own identity. This notion of the circle of life and our place within the family is central to my work. My current pieces explore childhood, marriage and motherhood.

Focused particularly on the maternal line and the influence of one generation on the next, I am exploring feminine roles and expectations. The demands women place upon themselves, willingly or otherwise, are influenced by both upbringing and pressures from outside sources to conform to female stereotypes.

I draw upon old family photographs and documents. My maternal grandmother’s experiences in the 1930s moving from schoolgirl to young working woman, then wife and mother were the initial source of inspiration for exploring my feminine theme. However the books, magazines and motion pictures that influenced a generation of women in the thirties are echoed in the considerable plethora of media confronting women today. Although my original concept comes from my personal family story and a particular era, in my pieces I attempt to highlight fundamental female issues which transcend history.

The correlation between jewellery and costume across time and culture fascinates me. Sentimental jewellery such as lockets and mourning jewels, albeit old fashioned, resonate in a way that much high value and status jewels never can. Clothing is essentially personal, whilst shoes eventually mould to the wearer’s feet – thus the use of vintage garments and shoes in my narrative is a deliberate symbol for the person, whilst the repetition of the apron is as a metaphor for the feminine and domestic.

The subdued colour palette is reminiscent of old sepia photographs and mimics images and memories that are faded and fragile, almost out of reach, just as the materials used are also abraded to create a worn, delicate surface.
Email: louiseevans@fsmail.net