Stephanie Fawbert

By The River

Jackson's Painting Prize 2022
Oil
Canvas
41 x 51cm

“‘By the River’ depicts a shady riverside with the single figure of a girl, standing at the water’s edge, clad in a swimming costume. The atmosphere of the painting is dark, mysterious and still. The painting is based on and inspired by photos I took of children swimming in a local river. I’m also inspired by the work of the 19th century German romantic painter Caspar David Friedrich who painted solitary figures surrounded by, and immersed in, nature.

I wanted to suggest that this small figure standing in the shadows, belongs to the place, is part of the environment she inhabits, about to leap in to the water, vulnerable but strong. I particularly love the light in this work, which I achieved by lifting off the initial dark green washes to create a strong vertical column of light. Alongside this are the reflections of light in the water, picked out with delicate brush strokes.”