Gillian Naylor
Netherby Hall Online Exhibition
Maid of the sea by Gillian Naylor
Inspired by Reiecke flute sonata 'Undine'
Born in the Lake District, I spent most of my time outside. Feeling like the landscape was part of me and all animals played a part in my world. I made up stories, invented other worlds and built strange creatures.
My visual imagination developed in contrast to my ability to read or write, which was always a struggle. Now when I ponder a dilemma, my brain gives me a painting for an answer. I make mixed media paintings that tell a story. The main narrative running through the work is the human journey through life, how we relate to each other and the world around us.
I am searching for an understanding; researching issues such as migration, global warming, death, fear, love and new beginnings. All played out with the backdrop of the natural world. Patterns in my work are from nature; such as spirals, waves and feathers. These are combined with domestic patterns from wallpaper and fabric as a reference to the interconnectedness. Birds and animals appear alongside human figures or a combination of the two. After a period of research an image will come to mind; a visual answer to a quest for understanding.
Art by Gillian Naylor
Guardian and friend snake
Without perceived danger would we protect?
77cm by 56cm mixed media on Somerset paper
£POA (Framed) -
No longer available
What are you carrying little fox?
Once you work out what you carrying you can make a plan to put it down
77cm by 56cm mixed media on Somerset paper
£POA (Framed) -
No longer available
Expansion
Being in nature, listening to music and painting all help me feel connected to and part of the natural world.
77cm by 56cm mixed media on Somerset paper
£POA (Framed) -
No longer available
Maid of the sea
Inspired by flute sonata Undine by Reinecke
77cm by 56cm mixed media on Somerset paper
£POA (Framed) -
No longer available
Dog days
Summer days when the birds seem to sing from morning to night and all that grows explodes with life.
77cm by 56cm mixed media on Somerset paper
£POA (Framed) -
No longer available
Bring in the day
Dawn chorus music to my ears.
77cm by 56cm mixed media on Somerset paper
£POA (Framed) -
No longer available
Waiting for the tide to turn
Relax the right conditions are on the way.
77cm by 56cm mixed media on Somerset paper
£POA (Framed) -
No longer available
We talked of such
Make plans, keep plans and hold memories.
77cm by 56cm mixed media on Somerset paper
£POA (Framed) -
No longer available
Metamorphosis
Always learning, growing and changing. The life journey of a human, extraordinary.
77cm by 56cm mixed media on Somerset paper
£POA (Framed) -
No longer available
Conversation blooms online
Talking of family, friends, love and hope in 2020 when we all stayed home.
77cm by 56cm mixed media on Somerset paper
£POA (Framed) -
No longer available
Lucky like that
Girl on a swing
Self portrait
I spent the early days of lockdown searching for four leaf clover on my walks. There are three on the dress along with seeds collected from flowers. So I was lucky to find them and felt lucky to be able to walk in the fields in the sunshine. I found a black and white photo of myself at 15 looking very boyish. I remember struggling with the idea of being a woman and taking on all that the title seemed to promise.
I wouldn’t change my own journey but good to see positive changes in the world.
77cm by 56cm mixed media on Somerset paper
£POA (Framed) -
No longer available
Inside out
Dreaming of being in the mountains
Walking in the fields
The birds whisperer of forests
The rain promises rivers
Relax
Breathe
77cm by 56cm mixed media on Somerset paper
£POA (Framed) -
No longer available
