26/10/2023
For centuries gardens have been places for peaceful contemplation.
The Persians used mathematical patterns and symmetrical design to make tranquil spaces in their desert gardens, incorporating formal pools to create a cool oasis. Their flower beds were filled with fragrant plants and fruit bearing trees, birds were shown as symbols of the regeneration of life.
The Chinese captured flowers and birds, designs like the famous willow pattern were depicted in cobalt blue on white china, these transfer printed plates were part of every home in Victorian England. Petrina Wright found shards of “blue and white” in her English garden and carefully collected these fragments of china and it is the memory of these pieces that has become an influence in her recent work.
The paintings here are inspired by gardens that are less formal but incorporate the same elements, as the Persians and the Chinese and by beauty discovered here in Mallorca. The artwork in this exhibition is made as a celebration of nature and the exuberance of life and the garden as a place to walk, gather flowers and listen to the birds.