Stepping Forward and Back, Split Views Connecting: Gardens: Fragments of Life and Loss

The title Stepping Forward and Back, Split Views Connecting reflects the central aim of this work: to explore how the interplay of light and shadow, open space, and the intricate layering of plant forms can be used to guide the viewer’s eye—either drawing elements forward to capture attention or allowing them to recede and contribute to a more atmospheric, emotive reading. Across the composition, there is a deliberate yet subtle use of a positive–negative visual switch in each adjacent panel, creating a rhythm of contrasts that invites both movement and pause. This formal device also reinforces the thematic idea of visual and spatial connection across seemingly fragmented views. While much of the piece was painted from life, capturing immediate responses to light and form, the final composition is shaped by a process of creative interpretation and refinement—where observational studies are transformed through compositional adjustments to express a deeper emotional and sensory experience of the garden space.

This painting is from the exhibition and publication, Gardens: Fragments of Life and Loss – an artistic enquiry that systematically explores themes of memory, impermanence, and transformation through the motif of the garden. Drawing upon visual language and observational practices, the body of work investigates how natural environments serve as metaphors for human experience, particularly in relation to loss and regeneration. The paintings communicate knowledge by documenting and interpreting the cyclical processes of change and adaptation in nature, offering insights into how landscapes reflect emotional and cultural memory. This body of work contributes to interdisciplinary dialogues between art, ecology, and the human condition through a methodical engagement with site, material, and temporality.