Amanda Ansell

Artist statement

My painting practice explores a sense of place, the fleeting and floating subject and the relationship between painter and nature.

From 2003, I created a series of bubble island paintings that marked a distinct departure from earlier abstract surface works which explored two surfaces coming together and ‘touching’. The further development of this work in 2006 coincided with a move from London to the Suffolk countryside. Remoteness and early grey mornings accumulated in a body of island paintings depicting foam bubble forms. Painted in abstract seascapes and evoking the forms of icebergs at sea, these fragile forms remind the viewer of the short-lived and are stark reminders of the fragility of island life, life itself and the natural world under threat today.

Since 2009, my painting has been influenced by frequent visits to the riverside.
Last year, I started work on a series I have titled Willow Lands. These explore patterns formed by interlacing sprigs and leaves. Intimate and tangled these semi-abstract works are inspired by the riverside landscape: the tips of the willow branch touching the waters surface, immersive curtains of willow, human intervention, irregular and regular formations and patterns. This ongoing exploration engages with nature’s constant renewal and the expression of fragility, which simultaneously, mimic the artistic and painting process.