Care

August 2005
Acrylic on canvas 51x75cm

This painting was initially called 'Henrietta Proust', after the song that inspired it. I decided to change the name because the painting grew while I was making it. It took on its own meaning and life. 'Henrietta Proust' is a song by Niall James Holohan, and I think it is about the caring role taken on by the feminine influences in his life. "hilary the firefly, peeling you your fruit juice, splashing in the ice, hilary the spark plug" NJH

'Care' began as a painting of Niall and me in his song and the more I thought about the song the more I realised that in a lot of my past relationships I have been attracted to people who are potentially destructive, and I have taken on a caring role, so that I could feel like I achieved something by 'fixing' their problems. This was an important realisation for me, and I have grown a lot through working on this painting.