I was at the opening of the Grid Show at the George Paton Gallery this Wednesday. I was looking forward to seeing how the other artists filled their allocated gridded space given the 2 meter square restriction. Several of us, including me, produced very different artwork to what we had anticipated. This shows how there can be more than one solution to a problem. My art work has been closely intertwined with life events. But then again, whose work isn’t? I had mapped out this grand project and then, I changed everything. I knew from the start I was going to do an installation, for a change.

I had attempted to finish my piece for the Grid Show before my daughter’s birth. Your own child’s birth is always a life changing experience. Even more so if it was highly dramatic, as it was the case for me. Admittedly, I had contemplated the idea of dropping out of the show. Then, I decided to take the opportunity to work with what I had. I simplified my original plan. Louise Bourgeois was an inspiration for my work. Motherhood, birthing, and vulnerability were also explored in this piece. 

In the end, I’m glad I stayed in the Grid Show. When it comes to create, I learned to be open to the unexpected and to use restrictions as a challenge to try something different.