Women & Work 

This painting depicts Ramah and forms part of an ongoing series in which I explore women’s relationships to work and the spaces that shape their practices. The piece reflects a shared period in our lives while we were completing our MA at Camberwell, working closely and collaboratively within our studio environment. It captures the intimacy, labour, and exchange that unfolded in those spaces, highlighting how our practices developed in dialogue with one another.

I removed an old painting I completed during my Masters from its stretcher and re-stretched it with new cotton duck canvas: 390gsm, 12oz. I only primed the canvas once with gesso, which made the surface feel toothy and textured. I normally prime with lots of layers and sand in-between for a smooth finish, but for this painting I wanted to play with staining and thinning the oil paint.

I began with Yellow Ochre, creating a sketchy outline of Ramah and the space she was within. I heavily thinned my paint with Zest-it and blocked out sections of Ramah’s green jacket and her blue painting in the background. Creating translucent layers that allowed me to stain and blend colours. Once I’ve moved around the canvas with these diluted colours, most of the surface has a thin transparent layer. I wait for this under layer to dry, then glaze again over the top, often using very diluted paint mixed in a Gü glass pot.

In areas such as Ramah’s coat, you can still see the first transparent layer. In others, I add further glazes, sometimes layering three or four. I wanted accidental colour mixing from the diluted Zest-it to remain visible. For Ramah’s face and hands, I work more impasto, applying thicker paint and leaving gestural strokes visible while blending others. I want moments of unfinishedness to remain