Decades ago, my Dad bought my Mum a hand-cut crystal vase. It sparkled on the sideboard for as long as I can remember, dusted frequently but never used for flowers because it was too precious to get dirty.

Mum and Dad have now passed away, but the vase endures. Multi-faceted, it twinkles on, catching the light, producing flashes of vibrancy, delicate but strong. When looked at closely, it is full of imperfections and damage, rigid lines that are not quite straight, different points of view and distortions. It is modestly extraordinary, much like my parents’ sixty-six year marriage. There were times when my parents endured their marriage, but their love endured. It still does, in their large family.

These paintings of part of Mum’s vase form a series that elaborates my fascination with transparent vessels as metaphors for ephemerality. For me, these objects convey the joy of light as life, the complexity and ambiguity of perception, and are vehicles for memories.

Please click on each image to see details.