Persephone Returns,
and so do I
Newsletter Issue #65
Hi, it’s been a while! Just over a year in fact, which is mental because where does the time go?!
Sitting down to write has felt like the world’s most daunting task, so naturally I put it off and off and off... which suited just fine for a while, but the truth is I’ve missed writing to you, and with today being the Spring Equinox here in the UK (and the northern hemisphere in general) - a symbol of new beginnings - it seemed like a good time to pick this back up.
To be honest, I don’t fully remember what my last email to you was about and I won’t be checking because if I do I’ll likely fall down a rabbit hole trying to link everything together and not actually finish writing this. So, instead, we’ll be taking inspiration from this annual astronomical event and starting this thing afresh.
So with that in mind:
Hiii 👋🏼, in case you have forgotten I’m Arietta and I am (for the most part) an artist with an affinity to painting, though I do occasionally dabble in other mediums because learning is fun. Making paintings is a bit like jumping through a portal to a different dimension: a place where I can openly be inspired by the things I get nerdy about and create my own little stories, leaving marks on a canvas that (hopefully) come together in a way that others (you?) can also relate to, or at least find pretty to look at. I cycle through a lot of interests but my main ones include nature, esotericism and literature.
Pursuit of Perfection: A Fool's Errand, 2023. Oil on canvas. 122x152cm - Available, email to enquire
As today marks the first official day of Spring, I wanted to talk a little bit more about the role of nature in my work. Other than the fact that nature is all around us (yes, even in cities), we (humans) are also a very integral part of this nature.
I often feel like in the context of our contemporary world and existence, nature is seen as this foreign entity, unrelated to us (humans). A separation that I find really problematic for a huge number of reasons, one of which is that it creates a disconnection to the very thing that has created and allowed us to exist and thrive as a species. Frankly, it’s disrespectful. It’s also short sighted. By removing ourselves from nature we lose a bit of ourselves in the process. The natural world is full of wonder and knowledge. Our stories and traditions are interlinked with our surroundings, we imbue our world with symbolism (hello anthropomorphising & pathetic fallacy) because it helps us make sense of our existence. And also, nature is a thing of beauty! (Albeit sometimes also terrifying).
I could go on like this for a while, but in an effort to not write you a several page essay, I’ll get back to the point. I find nature inspirational and I’m particularly interested in how we use the natural world to create meaning through symbolism. So, in my artwork I focus on painting something of the natural world, creating visually pleasing images with an undercurrent of storytelling made possible through composition and the symbolism of each painted element. Occasionally I veer from this method, I’m only human and sometimes I fancy a bit of a change, but for the most part this is the formula I use.
For now, here’s some pictures of a few of my older paintings that depict snippets of the natural world.
If any strike your fancy and you’d like to claim them as your own, simply let me know by replying to this email and all can be arranged.
1. Study of my golden pothos in blue, 2020. Oil on canvas. 55x55cm (framed) - Available, email to enquire
2. Ode to our innocence, 2021. Oil on canvas board. 28x28cm (framed) - Available, email to enquire
The Choice, 2023. Oil on canvas. 100x90cm - Available, email to enquire
I’ll be back again soon(ish), in less than a year certainly, with more thoughts (definitely) and some new paintings (probably - I do have about 10 on the go at the moment so I’d hope to finish at least some of them in the next few weeks!).
Until then, I hope you enjoy the growing days and the promise of warmth that the approaching summer brings.
Forever grateful for your kind interest and support,
Arietta xx