Acrylic on canvas, 61 × 76 cm. Available as a signed & numbered print from 12 September.
Daffodil is a tribute to the unsettling chaos of London summer. It’s based on the song of the same name by Jamie xx.
On the surface it’s an exploration of the romance that so often comes with summer. The character has a mystifying look, hard to pin down, but there is unmistakably romance and interest behind her stare. The lyrics that inspired the painting describe a London summer night where something began, presumably a romance of sorts, and the lines that follow talk about placing a daffodil in someone’s hair.
That juxtaposition is what I wanted to paint. Daffodils are not summer flowers. They largely die out before summer even begins. For me, that gives the song and the painting a different meaning. It becomes a summer that happens directly after a relationship ends, the chaotic kind, where you’re trying to process it at the worst possible time, while the chaos of London summer fills the air. Trying to find solace in connection with other people, but deep down feeling the pain of losing someone and the weirdness of moving on.
The daffodil in her hair is a reminder of the relationship that once was. She carries it with her through the chaotic London summer nights.