To Play or Not to Play

My work explores playground politics and the hierarchies which exist in the colourful world of ‘little people’. It is a journey to the darker side of childhood and an investigation into the wide spectrum of personalities who meet on a daily basis to play. To the casual observer the antics and games appear to be innocent, but take a closer look and the body language and subtle facial expressions belie a sophistication one would not expect at a tender age.

Imagery is deliberately child-like with some characters appear more defined than others. Sketchbook drawings and colour studies inform the work, though the final pieces are painted from imagination.

There are references to children’s traditional games which themselves have sinister roots. For example ‘Here comes the candle...” refers to the nursery rhyme, “Oranges and Lemons” and the execution procession of debtors and criminals through London.

Whilst the playground can be viewed as a cooking pot of personalities and characters, cliques and factions, this environment can often be replicated in other situations, for example, the staff room, the office, and the board room.

Jackie Berridge 2009

Extracting Anatomy

From expansive shorelines to the intimate surroundings of home, different environments have provided inspiration for my work. Extracting Anatomy is an exploration of the human body, from the basic building blocks, that is cell structures, to more complex organs that have evolved to make Homo Sapiens such an interesting subject to study. It is environment which produces thoughts and ideas, a container which processes air, solids and liquids.

The medical profession has a language for describing the body, for diagnosing illness and for prescribing drugs which often eludes the lay person. For example:

brachi	- prefix indicating a connection to the arm
xerochelia	- dry lips
AP ante partum	- before chidbirth
ap ante prandium	- before dinner

Extracting Anatomy uses a personal visual language and its meaning may also elude the viewer. It is an exploration of ambiguity, perception and the way in which images are interpreted. Although the final pieces are abtract, the research is firmly rooted in observational drawing and colour studies. Many weeks are spent looking at the subject, recording information in sketchbooks.

I looked at the surface of the body through life-drawing. Obviously looking inside the body is more tricky! This was resolved when the Queens Medical Centre kindly allowed me access to stained cells and tissue samples.

Other valuable resource material included the internet and medical reference books. After collating this information, I closed the sketch-books and worked from memory. The observational work merely serves as a way of reinforcing this memory. With this vast array of information and visual imagery I began to develop abstract forms using a personal, visual language..

As the artist I can interpret the work and understand its ambiguity. Each painting represents my perception of the elements contained within it. Other viewers will interpret it according to their own perceptions and experiences.

Whilst each picture can be viewed as a puzzle, it is for each viewer to unlock it and arrive at their own conclusions.