Clare Twomey

My current body of work is an intimate exploration of my relationship with my son, as he navigates the liminal space of his final school year. A sensory diary of our journey, it explores the complex, fragile bond between parent and child, and the fragility of life itself, delicate ecological systems and our place within them.

The work takes inspiration from the concept of wabi-sabi; the art of impermanence. This concept comes from the Japanese words wabi (meaning ‘less is more’) and sabi (‘attentive melancholy’) and refers to an awareness of the transient nature of life. The deeply intertwining yet separate experiences of my son and I reflect this concept.

I apply tracing paper, scotch tape and paint to panels in simultaneous layers building up surfaces that enables me to sand, scrape, saturate, peel, paint, collage and repeat multiple times to create textured workable services and abstract compositions. Through the processes of photography, drawing, print, collage, film and sculpture, everyday life and surroundings are distilled into my work.