Padonna

Padonna.jpg
 
 

Padonna

I heard the news of yet another male star able to devastate children’s lives, tragically, repeatedly. I thought, not all men are like that.  This image of a father and child came to mind one morning, and it seemed an easy thing to do; a child on a father’s lap. But it was a struggle to paint.  It wasn’t until all four hands were showing that the relationship felt safe and I could see a larger picture. 

I saw parent and child—mother and child—Madonna.  I realised this was Padonna.  Then the background became classic renaissance Madonna blue.  And that blue had hints of delft pottery and indigo dyes—the patterns and colours of empire imposed into African states, moving people as commodity. I recalled seeing delft pottery in Ghana and seeing Ghanaian basket weaving in North Carolina. I saw the triangle trade and had to paint it.  Empire continues even now, and the fabric frame presented itself in the colour of copper; a colour of commodity routinely removed from the African continent.

This Padonna pair is exuberantly black – a deliberate pointer to the culture of white Jesus imposed on so many.

Oil on stretched, framed by gathered copper fabric

2015

136 x 96cm

Original Painting in private collection

 
 

Please contact me if you would like prints. The following formats are available. All prints on paper are sold on ivory mounting board. Frames may be ordered. Prints on canvas are stretched on wood.

Art Prints: Art Prints are created with laser printers onto quality wood pulp art paper.

Gallery Poster: Gallery Poster is a typical art gallery format with laser printer on poster paper, supplied rolled in a tube.

Giclee Prints: Giclee Prints are inkjet sprayed onto quality cotton rag paper. They’re known for their vibrant colours, fine details, and archival quality. The term "giclee" comes from the French word meaning "to spray," referring to the precise inkjet spraying process used in their production. They’re guaranteed to last at least 100 years (though no one’s been alive long enough since development to know…)

Embellished Giclee Prints: Embellished Giclee Prints are customised by me adding details, textures, or hand-drawn elements to make each cotton paper print unique. The result is a print that combines the advantages of digital printing with a personal touch.

Giclee Prints on Canvas: Giclee Prints are inkjet sprayed onto artist canvas material. This gives the print a texture and appearance similar to a traditional painting on canvas so that they resemble original paintings.

Embellished Giclee Prints on Canvas: Embellished Giclee Prints on Canvas are customised by me adding details, textures, or hand-painted elements to make each print unique. Embellishments added on top of canvas give the print a more three-dimensional painterly effect.