' Precious Memories'                Jo Beattie

'Memories are those precious moments that tell our story’

My work is a reflection on memories and shared past experiences. Shapes, patterns and colours define us in time, place and culture. The subject matter of my work ranges from:

‘Intimate Memories’ Those memories of conversations and moments we share with family and friends.

All the above are part of my obsession with our emotional attachment to people and objects. It became even more poignant during Covid lockdown when our separation from people and experiences brought memories into even sharper focus.

 All my work develops these themes and is produced in similar ways. I draw from and respond to images that are personal to me and produce a drawing on a computer and transfer it to a sewing machine. I then machine this image out, hand colour and embellish it. This image is then sandwiched between sheets of Perspex or embedded into resin.

My work often uses shadow to reflect the image of our collective memories. I have become interested in the way my artwork can enhance the idea of memory by having a shadow of the image reflected onto a plain background a distance away from the actual work. This enables the image to become larger and more defined. The major work this year is based on ' CONTEMPLATION'

JO BEATTIE