Mary May

Excited by colour, pattern and line and the relationships between them, I like to experiment with putting together colours and elements which should not work in theory . I enjoy creating harmony from conflicting elements. For me, it is also a way of linking up the mismatched furniture of my own life and interests into some order.
Although my paintings are very abstact, they are full of meanings which are personal to me. Often when I have an idea it will be triggered by certain colour combinations that I have just seen or remembered. Sometimes they are linked to memories going back to childhood , for example, a party frock I used to have, or an old sweetie wrapper. Or they could be a nod to a garden I passed yesterday with different shades of conifers sitting on a moss lawn.
Lately I have been working on a series of 'Bridge' paintings which evolved from the elliptical shapes I had been using in previous works. I liked the idea of bridge as metaphor so I have been using this to explore past and present relationships with people and my environment.
My paintings make me happy. I am not such a harsh judge of my work as I used to be. I accept that they are simply an expression of my love of colour and pattern and my perspective on life.