SPRING CLEAN
Prints of my painting Spring Clean are now available in my shop, click on image on right
I love these vintage aprons, they are so jolly and brightly coloured in lovely soft cottons, with their contrasting edgings. No matter how many I buy, from jumble sales, charity shops and junk shops each one is different; Some with frills, some with pockets, straight straps or crossed backs.
The apple blossoms were painted outside, the canvas held by ropes to stop it blowing in the spring breeze.
I strung up my favourite aprons in the orchard and took photos of them lifting and fluttering with the wind, then took my washing line into the studio to work on details of pockets, straps and frills. Gradually making the colours lighter and lighter to capture the effects of sunlight.
The painting was first exhibited in the old Frenchay Hospital in Bristol. Later I was offered the opening exhibition at the brand new Southmead Hospital in Bristol and ‘Spring Clean ‘ was bought by the hospital to hang in the big light space of the main atrium.
“Hi Mariette, I walked into Southmead Hospital on the wettest of Wednesdays this week … I was extremely grumpy because of an awful journey, nervous about the meeting, and SOAKING wet ! The first thing I saw when i cleaned the rain off my glasses was your painting ‘Spring Clean’ hanging on the wall of the atrium. My mood lifted at once. I felt so inspired by your happy, joyful, bright, positive an hopeful painting that i decided that it was with this in mind I was going to approach this next scary phase of my life.”
“I absolutely love your painting Spring Clean - I met it at Southmead Hospital recently. It is so vibrant, full of happiness and optimism, it is so full of movement and atmosphere - you can feel the breeze and the sun on your face and smell the scent of spring. It makes me think of my mother when she was younger - she is now 94 and has later stage Dementia but thankfully retains a large part of her very cheerful, happy, bright and funny personality.”