Painted Relationships: Reconstructing the Lens of Childhood

Abstract

My childhood was full of wonder and imagination; it was carefree and joyful. My project has arisen from my own experience; it explores how childhood is recollected. I am interested in the processes of recollection, and how painting can physicalise the significance of childhood memory. This painting project places me back behind that lens of my childhood, immersing me in a process of recalling memories from ages seven to thirteen. As time passes, memories fade and specific moments and objects blur, but the feelings from those experiences remain, forming the base upon which my thoughts, beliefs and behaviours, and by proxy this project, are built. This practice-led research project examines the invisible emotional ties that bind one to childhood. Adopting an autoethnographic methodological framework, I aim to reveal the unseen relationships between people, objects, and places. The resulting paintings situate recollection of childhood within a psycho-social space where they can be recognised and appreciated. This project aims to develop specific painting methods that can initiate conversations about childhood and the inevitability of growing older. My paintings bridge connections between my personal narratives and those of viewers.