As part of a body of work exploring 'Intuitive Observations of Human Nature', this portrait of my grandmother was created using ink on raw canvas, mediums that allowed me to gently trace the contours of her fading presence. The fluidity of the wash and the pooling of pigment evoke the slow drift of memory, capturing the outward expressions of her quiet internal struggle with deteriorating health. In this work, I invite a contemplative space - one shaped by reflection, remembrance, and the melancholy that often accompanies the act of looking back. This work explores subjectivity and intuition, the discord between the internal and external states of being; the dichotomy of the unconscious and conscious mind; and the impact of selective memory, age, and illness have on our psychological health and wellbeing.

This statement was written by my mother, Kate Walsh (artist) who passed away in palliative care last month after living with Stage 4 lung cancer that metastasised to her brain. I am submitting on her behalf and found this particular artwork resonated with some of my own observations of Mum in her last weeks talking about end of life together in palliative care - particularly that ethereal expression.