Stretched Canvas ready to hang

 

The artwork depicting an unusual imagery of an astronaut with a glass of wine in one hand and a stick in another sat between coloured walls forms the first of the series of three paintings where the astronaut becomes a metaphor for the artist herself and the following three stages an analogy for the progression of her personal experiences through space and time. 

The painting explores the beginning, i.e. the first stage of the journey that begins on a note of loneliness. The image of the astronaut is deployed to convey the extant of this loneliness which is also simultaneously experienced as solitude being celebrated with a glass of wine. This solitude, however, has to be guarded with a stick in hand which is depicted as a tool for self-defense and self-preservation. 

The painting also offers duality in terms of images and expectations as the astronaut is not lonely in outer space but within the bounds of bricks and walls. The grim reality of the astronaut sitting lost and stuck is again countered by the lustre of magenta walls as a movement towards vigour and vibrance.