Midwinter Muses and Motifs

Figures in their various settings reflect imagery related to the night and darkness, as well as themes related to the solstice, like celebration, music, dancing, games and fire. Timed to coincide with the Winter solstice, and the magical season in Katoomba.

“May works across a range of mixed media – charcoal, ink, watercolour, pastels, acrylics – and her work is characterised by expressive, textural brushwork. It’s a layered style, but is also organic, intuitive, giving a sense of immediacy. The incorporation of quotations and characters from some of her favourite Dylan songs, such as his mid-60s masterpieces ‘Desolation Row’ and ‘Visions of Johanna’, adds to the layered expressivity of her work.
At the same time as these expressive and painterly qualities, however, there is also a stillness to May’s works. This symbolic aspect of her images is steeped in myth and memory. Figures appear in landscapes – often nocturnal or twilight, evoking a world of dreams and memory. There’s a melancholy in many of these works, reminiscent of de Chirico, with images appearing like stills from a dream, where meaning is elusive and indefinable but we intuit its origins in myth and archetype.” (Graeme Prince, June 16, 2018. Read full speech in May's blog: post 15/10/21. )



May’s paintings are available for purchase as original works, or as limited edition archival prints. Contact May/see Store.