This June, when I was going into hospital to have my daughter, my sister sent me Billie Eilish’s new album ‘Hit Me Hard and Soft’. The album is gentle and emotional and one I will associate with having my daughter. Like ‘Magic and Loss’ the title
is juxtaposed in its meaning and having two opposing emotions and feelings is frequently felt when parenting small children. The painting of my son ‘Bill Being Brave’ depicts him on the stairwell of our flat in his nappy; in the shadows he sees dinosaurs. I wanted to paint a child’s imagination, innocence and a fleeting moment during his childhood. With small children emotions can you hit you hard and softly as you experience both the magic of a child and and the loss of innocence.