Stay Blue
- Artist:
- Type: Painting
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Production Date: 1991
- Description: The artist says: 'I paint images, in oil or egg tempera, of figures, objects and interiors that are of a fantastical nature. I am interested in the depiction of space as well as surface qualities, such as the texture of fabric. My works have a theatrical feel to them'. She is influenced by subject matter such as the human figure, emotions, psychology and her own gender as a female.
In relation to this work, the artist explains:
The title 'Stay Blue' comes from something my mother once told me: when she first saw the Mediterranean Sea she was so struck by how blue it was that she half expected it to stay blue when she scooped up some in her hands. She knew it wouldn't stay blue of course, but it was hard to believe because the colour was so intense. I based the painting on that notion and achieved a very intense blue by layering cobalt blue and ultramarine blue oil paint over and over, letting each layer dry first, so it took a while. Cobalt is opaque and Ultramarine is transparent. I offset the blue with reds and oranges to increase the intensity. The whole image is abstract, but refers to the sea and shore, possibly rockpools. On another level it says something to me about things not being as they seem. - Dimensions: 160 cm (H) x 185.5 cm (W).
- Acquisition Note: Scottish Arts Council Bequest
- Digital Copy:A digital copy exists.
- Location: Cottrell Building, W corridor
- Related Material: AC/AF/I/3
- Related Material: AC/OF/1998/11
- Accession Number: 1998.11
- Contact: University of Stirling Art Collection
