The exhibited works celebrate the simplicity and beauty of the ordinary, placing particular emphasis on the often-forgotten joyfulness of solitude. Expressing the importance of ‘taking a moment’ while using the vantage point of the female gaze, these paintings show the restorative qualities imbued in tending to one’s own inner life: “after the twoyears we have all had we have learned how powerful it is for one’s mental health to be quiet and to indulge in solitude.” (Nancy Cadogan). The viewer is therefore encouraged to engage in mindful contemplation of each canvasand explore how we physically inhabit space whilst our thoughts travel through places, things and memories. Literature, a great influence in Cadogan’s practice, is of paramount importance in this series, as the depiction of books becomes a key expedient to unveil the dichotomies concealed in the 'semi-dynamic still-lives.' “It’s the idea of the body being still and the mind being completely free.” The works are peaceful, colourful, and carefully orchestrated to create a sense of harmony, but also encourage the mind to wander on a journey. Each work is a snapshot – a form of visual haiku – where the ordinary takes on an indefinable significance, evoking sensory moments of awareness with poetic sentiment.

These ethereal paintings are paired down cropped scenes of the everyday, executed in a carefully chosen colourpalette of pinks, bottle greens or blue shadowy light. Evoking a sense of peace, these works also conjure unconscious feelings that are universally felt and can be recognised by all. The timeless, quiet, ‘unaloud’ paintings are stripped of noise to exude a stillness. The viewer becomes personally part of the creative process in that they ‘see’ and ‘experience’ these familiar and routine moments ‘anew’. Their own intuitive awareness and delicate perception of slow looking is engaged.

‘I am delighted to be showing at the Gillian Jason gallery, which solely represents female artists. Female storytelling is at the heart of my work, and so it is a pleasure to be exhibiting within this forum.’ Nancy Cadogan