My
artwork is always inspired by stories. Our daily flood of world-wide
events offers many, but sometimes one story touches you more than the
others; it warms or breaks your heart and does not let you move on
swiftly, then it has become personal. This is when I start painting.
The process begins in my head, where the setting is fully determined.
I hold on to this moment of attention, this disrupting factor that
briefly touches our lives before we re-focus on ourselves or are
distracted by the next event. Taking this story, and sometimes
including iconic elements from these public images and events, I
blend them with my personal ones to a new composition. The
protagonists stay with me during the full process. They may appear
only as a side event, or are merely reflected and hinted at within
the setting. My paintings do not make a final judgement, despite
having a critical edge; there is never only one truth, one story, one
perspective. They merely observe and reflect on these events, as such
providing a mirror to society. They are silent tributes and very
private insights that invite the viewer to make their own personal
story appear. Capturing these stories and figures on canvas is my way
to preserve their dignity before they are drowned in the flood.
Ianessa Norris, April 2015
