Garden Gaze (Series 1: Homegrown)

This artwork is the third and final piece of the series called Homegrown, which places decorated rocks alongside cherished toys from my childhood.

Garden Gaze (2020) is a site-specific installation, where decorated rocks are placed on the window in what was my bedroom in my childhood home. This installation was created by arranging the vibrant rocks according to their colours, creating a singular diagonal path which displays slight structured variations in complementary colours to evoke a harmonious atmosphere.

Within this installation the window becomes representative of my early childhood, making use of the very same glass which I would once gaze longingly out of during rainy days. The window looks out onto the garden, a magical wonderland where I would play with abandon as an escape mechanism.

The painted rocks are placed on this window as if they have slowly taken over the view, making the glass their new home, fostering a sense of belonging. This romantic artwork reflects the emotional state I found myself in at this age, an idyllic period within my life that I reflect upon often as a young adult.

In this way, the decorated rocks are representative of me within my current time and place. The therapeutic process of creating these unique entities becomes a modern ritual, providing me with the opportunity to indulge in the magical escapist methods I practiced in my youth.

To once again view the world from a child’s eyes.