Fiona MacRae
MELAMINE QING
Both words are evocative of a period in history.
There is a complete contrast in materials, yet both have an elegance and balance and sit comfortably together.
Melamine of the 1960s and 70s, conjures up carefree freedom, northern, its non-precious, practical, bright , warm and indestructible, with a beautiful sense of clarity, balance and design.
Qing spanning three centuries, Chinese imperial dynasty from 1636-1912, porcelain, fragile, balanced, sometimes fussy, sitting on a shelf to be viewed, it conjured up long sea journeys, eastern, exotic, precious, highly skilled.
This body of work is a combination of both, transitional, reflective of Fiona's present environment but with one foot still out the door.
"I must be part Bower bird, lifelong collector of colours, pattern and shapes that catch my eye. My paintings are rarely preconceived, the seed is an abstract thumbnail sketch, from there I gather colour, objects to hand and arrange them as my eye sees fit, subconsciously they are a reflection of whatever environment I am in."
