Exhibitor #32b (mary mottishaw)

Title: for Jeanette

Medium: mixed

Dimensions: 48″ x 30″

For Sale: NFS

Artist Statement: The book of poetry Bedlam Cowslip by Jeanette Lynes inspired this work. The poems interpret the life of John Clare (1793-1864), an English working class bard. He worked in the lime kilns, was a naturalist, and was institutionalized for his mental health issues (I think it is likely some of the treatments encouraged further episodes). He sold his poems to support his visits to the pub. The first section illustrates many of the treatments he received, including a rhubarb diet. As his disease progressed, he suffered from delusions, including thinking his wife’s head was on a frog. In the center he climbs a tree to watch a young woman, who will become his wife, walk over a field. The coloured dots depict the pattern of the section numbers on a map of the peace region. Thirdly, a collaged and painted collection of the English wildflowers he spent many hours entranced by.