Homage to Sonia Delaunay

Coloured and pastel pencil on black American deckle edged printmaking paper 77.5 x 74.5 cm (image) 91 x 87 cm (framed)

‘With a passion for light and a love of art history my drawing practice pays homage to those artists who have gone before. Researching favourite women painters, a photograph of Sonia Delaunay’s Portuguese studio, Circa 1915, fired my imagination. It was taken during the time Sonia and Robert Delaunay spent in Portugal, escaping wartime Paris, and seeking the sunshine. I became fascinated by the circular motifs decorating the surfaces of the walls and still life vessels on her table. Inspired, I made an abstracted work in coloured pencil and pastel, black paper evoking the mystery of her colour experiments. Resonating with my own design background, Sonia Delaunay, who was Ukrainian and a pioneer of Orphism, had a diverse practice encompassing drawing, textiles and fashion ...' Jane Gerrish 2021