Hirsute

Hirsute
Etching and aquatint on paper
50cm x 30cm
2011

The portrayal of hair is a fascinating theme; it is an interesting connector between the inner and outer selves; it has been used as symbol of attractiveness and desire. In fairytales, hair can assume a life of its own, continuing to grow after death, symbolising health, vitality and sexuality. It can also serve as a warning that all is not as it seems as in Angela Carter’s The Company of Wolves from The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories. Here she recreates the traditional tale of Red Riding Hood but in her reinterpretation, the young girl on the brink of puberty is not a victim of the wily wolf but a willing partner and capable of looking after herself and the life she chooses. She knows that ‘the worst wolves are hairy on the inside’, and she shivers; however, she does not shiver because of fear but because of ‘the blood she must spill’.
In Hirsute, the figure’s exposed hairy pelt references her relationship to the wolf, while alluding to her own sexuality. The scissors, which in the fairytale are used to cut open the wolf to release the grandmother, is on hand as she is coming out of her shell, and her lineage as part of the animal world is evident in the brooch she wears.

This print is part of a series of prints entitled Moon Phase, a theme that I periodically add to as the theme evolves. It includes Moonlit Roof (2010), The Somnambulist (2014) and Noli Me Tangere (2015).

Noli Me Tangere

Noli Me Tangere
Etching, aquatint and screen print on paper
50cm x 30cm
2015

This print is part of a series of prints entitled Moon Phase, a theme that I periodically add to as the theme evolves. It includes Moonlit Roof (2010), Hirsute (2011), and The Somnambulist (2014).

Things connected to the moon include, moods, tides, lunacy, eclipse, sleep walking and werewolves. I use these ideas to illustrate the complex issues surrounding adolescence and having to grow up. They are also hugely inspired by writers such as Angela Carter (Company of Wolves), Karen Russell (St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves) and fairy tales.

The Somnambulist

The Somnambulist
Etching, aquatint and drypoint on paper
50cm x 30cm
2014

This print is part of a series of prints entitled Moon Phase, a theme that I periodically add to as the theme evolves. It includes Moonlit Roof (2010), Hirsute (2011) and Noli Me Tangere (2015).

Things connected to the moon include, moods, tides, lunacy, eclipse, sleep walking and werewolves. I use these ideas to illustrate the complex issues surrounding adolescence and having to grow up. They are also hugely inspired by writers such as Angela Carter (Company of Wolves), Karen Russell (St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves) and fairy tales.

Moonlit Roof

Moonlit Roof
Etching, aquatint and drypoint on paper
50cm x 30cm
2010

This print is part of a series of prints entitled Moon Phase, a theme that I periodically add to as the theme evolves. It includes Hirsute (2011), The Somnambulist (2014) and Noli Me Tangere (2015).

Things connected to the moon include, moods, tides, lunacy, eclipse, sleep walking and werewolves. I use these ideas to illustrate the complex issues surrounding adolescence and having to grow up. They are also hugely inspired by writers such as Angela Carter (Company of Wolves), Karen Russell (St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves) and fairy tales.