In The Gallery

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This is my painting of a Divi-Divi Tree. It hangs in my bedroom, it makes me smile. 

Aruba's distinctive trees have fascinating formations, they are shaped by constant trade winds, yet to me they seem to symbolise women, strong women, complicated women, women with tangled roots, women battered and buffetted yet still standing proud and strong.

So, why. I wonder am I so drawn to them? I have a few in my gallery and I have sold one of the best ones so I have no idea where that one hangs now.

I suppose I am what you would call, 'a girl's girl,' always interested in the stories of other women, their struggles, their highs and lows. Maybe it's because I have daughters and not sons.I have never been 'one of the boys', in fact I find that a bit weird, but each to their own.

I have a lot of paintings in my studio of women, I've never really thought about it before, but now I am thinking 'what's that all about?' 


                                                         This is Persephone.


                                                          This is Kate Moss.


                                                              
                                                         This is Bianca Jagger.


This is Chanel.
                                                            
                                                           
I have many others. I think the psychotherapy behind my preferring women to men would be quite easy to understand. I am not sexually inclined towards women but I like them, maybe it's a sisterhood thing, I have got an actual sister but she has cut herself off from the wider family.That happened quite a while ago, just after our mum died and I am sure she has her reasons. I don't actually have a lot of girlfriends, I am not a 'going out with the girls' person and the last and only girl's holiday was about forty years ago. It's probably because the men in my life have been pretty shit, and I simply haven't got the time for them anymore- that's a bit harsh I know. 
People sometimes ask me why I'm single and I look at them incredulously, why wouldn't I be, I think? OK, if I could strike up an instant rapport with the, frankly, indecently ravishing bloke in the advert I saw the other day, well, no hesitation but I wouldn't want him in my real life. It would be exhausting and boring to have to keep up the pretence of constant beauty, good humour, deep conversation and acrobatics.
Perhaps my preferring painting women is not deep at all, perhaps it's just that they 'talk' to me more than men. Their stories interest me. Their lives interest me.

Which answers my question:  Why am I so drawn to Divi-Divi trees? 
Because they are all fascinating females. 

                                                        








 

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