In November 2016, I approached Guernsey Arts with the concept, Amazing Women! Yellow Chair Portraits. My pitch was for a celebratory exhibition of portrait paintings of women from within the island community. I chose these women for their contributions to the happiness of fellow islanders, as well as communities further afield. My wish list of amazing women included; Sarah Griffith MBE, Rev. Linda Le Vasseur, Susan Wilson MBE, Janet Wakefield, Jean Owen, Sasha Kazantseva-Miller, Catherine Best, Anita Davies, Anna Smith, Teresa O’Hara, Valerie Winn, Connie Armstrong, Karen Blanchford and Dame Mary Perkins. To my absolute joy they all said “Yes” and so the process began.
I created a platform in my studio, upon which sat my yellow plastic Robin Day chair (Habitat c.1998). This is the chair on which all of my Amazing Women sat. Symbolically, the yellow chair was egalitarian in its purpose and functionality, and undeniably a humble statement about the sitters and their willingness to volunteer their time and their support for my project. Without their can-do-attitude, the exhibition would never have happened.
With a fast approaching deadline and 15 portraits to complete for January 2018, it was very early on that I realised I would have to standardise the format of the paintings. They would be life size and all on the same eye-line. Not only would this create a sense of cohesion, but would provide the sitters equal status and recognition. Each would occupy the same amount of space in the gallery and also allow for the same amount of focus by the viewer.
The further I journeyed into the project, the more significant the subject matter became. 2018 was celebrated as the Year of the Woman, as well as 100 years since some women achieved the right to vote in the UK. Highlighting the achievements of women and their contribution to a better society was inspirational for my work as an artist.
During my exhibition, International Women’s Day was celebrated on Thursday 8th March 2018 with school visits to the exhibition, guest speakers in the Frossard Auditorium and the exhibition was chosen as a venue for Deloitte to hold their annual IWD gathering. With the help of Candie Museum and Guernsey Arts, the Museum was also granted free entry for the day, which was generously sponsored by a local business.