A RICH LIFE

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EXHIBITIONS

A RICH LIFE 1998 . FRAGMENTS OF A LIFE 2000 . READINGS 2002

A RICH LIFE
PAINTINGS BY SYLVIA SIDDELL

The following four images are of oil paintings from an exhibition A RICH LIFE held during June -July 1998 at Artis Gallery 280 Parnell Rd Auckland New Zealand

For a review of this exhibtion Click here

Sewing Oil on canvas 840 x 480mm	From the Garden Oil on canvas 500 x 300 mm

A Rich Life Oil on canvas 680 x 600 mm	Desire Oil on canvas 600 x 710 mm

Sylvia Siddell lives and works in Auckland. Her work is represented in major public and private collections in New Zealand.
In her forthcoming exhibition of rich, vibrant oil paintings Sylvia Siddell continues to evoke a familiar domestic environment where unexpected glimpses of daily life can reveal hidden demons with the shock of the known, recognised yet not fully comprehended.
As in her previous exhibition at Artis gallery in 1996 of still life paintings where objects took on a pulsating energy full of movement and unease these works are images of clarity and distortion, strength and fragility. Lustrous silk, gold thread, ribbons of blood and skeins of tears tangle into intricate webs of relationships and memories.
With the personal domestic world as her main subject area, Sylvia Siddell follows a path much trodden by women artists; yet she departs from many of the comforting myths such painting often sustains. In the conflicts that her imagery so well conveys can be found many autobiographical references. Far from celebrating the order and peace of the home Sylvia Siddell's works suggest an unease both psychological and physical.
By choosing not to make blatant statements within her work and creating subtle undercurrents Sylvia Siddell's world seems restive and subversive of accepted values.
Consequently, Sylvia Siddell does not attempt to place expectations on the viewer and individuals respond to these works in accordance with their own life experiences and often react emotionally in a quite personal way. Spiritual, political and philosophical views reverberate gently.
More quietly introspective than her previous work, these paintings reflect the sorrows, joys and richness of family life. The symbolism reminds us of our own vulnerability, the fragile constitution of life; and of our own moral and emotional weaknesses. These beautiful works are meaningful comments on the human condition.

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