This painting was part of a body of work I did for my 2016 solo exhibition "The Muck & The Mire". The themes I was exploring in this show were around primal fears and modern anxieties.
"Host" oil on board 2016
Detail of Host
Giant leeches featured in a number of the pieces as symbols of fear. Phobias and anxiety as a parasitic entity that attaches to us or that we carry as a host.
I was terrified of leeches as a child. I lived in the country and going swimming in a dam or creek always brought with it the possibility of coming in contact with leeches. It wasn't the reality that was frightening, I think it was the idea of these creatures lurking in the depths waiting to feed off of me that freaked me out.
Now I think that leeches are quite beautiful.
The leech in "Host" is a sculpture I made from Super Sculpey which my wonderful partner Isabel 'modelled' for the reference photo.
