Artist's Statements:

Jennifer Mullen

I have spent much of the past two years developing this collection, which represents an important and deeply personal chapter in my artistic practice. THE INSPIRATION BEHIND THE PAINTINGS Beauty, resilience and the remarkable legacy of Rachel Ruysch This new body of work draws inspiration from the extraordinary life and paintings of Rachel Ruysch (1664–1750), one of the most accomplished floral painters of the Dutch Golden Age. Ruysch was a remarkable woman, not simply because of her extraordinary artistic talent, but because of the independence, determination and professional success she achieved at a time when opportunities for women were profoundly limited. A mother of ten children, she maintained an exceptionally successful artistic career, supported her family through her painting and continued creating extraordinary works well into her eighties. Her paintings commanded remarkable prices during her lifetime, sometimes exceeding those paid for works by Rembrandt. Yet, despite her achievements, her contribution to art history was largely overlooked for generations. I find her story both inspiring and profoundly moving. Her determination to pursue her artistic vision while navigating the responsibilities, joys and heartbreaks of motherhood resonates deeply with my own experiences. Through this collection, I wanted to honour not only Ruysch’s extraordinary legacy, but also the strength, beauty and complexity of women’s lives. A PERSONAL JOURNEY Over the past two years, as I have navigated motherhood while developing this series, I have found myself increasingly drawn to the relationship between beauty and impermanence, tenderness and resilience, vulnerability and strength. I have stretched and grown beyond the confines of my old self and forged a path towards a life increasingly burning with ambition. I wanted to explore the tension between professional ambition and domestic responsibility, and the assertive discernment demanded of all mothers when walking with a foot in each realm. Flowers have long been central to my painting practice. Yet in this collection, they have become something more than objects of beauty. They are expressions of life’s extraordinary richness and fragility, of growth and transformation, and of the complicated, sometimes contradictory emotions that accompany motherhood.

Gina Grave

The paintings in this series focus on bringing small things into the light. Petite everyday objects, birds and flora staged for the most part on a modernist back drop. Items we overlook, valuing only their function.

These pieces offer an opportunity to pause, appreciate form and remember that the little keepsakes we surround ourselves with, hold beauty, memories and meaning.