Barb Henderson - 'Daydreaming'

Wednesday 21 June - Saturday 8 July 2023

"When I was a teacher a colleague noted during a craft class how wonderful it was to see such clarity as the children came to choose a suitable colour of thread when they were sewing. They never hesitated in their decision, there was no thinking; such confidence. Unlike the children, the colleague who was also sewing was hesitant and would agonise over her colour choices.

When I paint I often notice that a colour will come to me. Often it's a colour that I would not choose if I was to think about it, and it would be easy to dismiss this suggestion. I try to have the confidence to act on this first intuition, even though often it seems outrageous. When I do, usually to my surprise it mostly works wonderfully.

I need also to have the courage to lose the parts in the painting I love. If I try to work around the little gems that emerge, it never works. I lose the freedom to work the painting as a whole. It's as if there is some guiding force which I try to sense into.

In the past I always drew inspiration from painting outside, on holidays while camping in the bush, or in my wild garden. The changeable weather where I live makes this difficult and now I work inside my studio. And I  try to connect with this force that comes from somewhere else.

There is an element of playfulness in this process, as there is in the reactions of the viewers who find their own images and names for the finished pieces.