New Release

The title of this painting refers both to the latest version of whatever my oldest son Jasper Zeb Annis Houghton (Zeb) is playing on his PS5 and Zeb’s status as being in holiday mode. Newly released from his job as a learning support assistant (LSA) at his old high school just before Christmas.

Following on from my previous painting and post ‘Self as instrument’, this painting could also be called ‘Family as Instrument’. Left at home for a week while Kim and the kids went to Hobart, with only the other two dependents (the dogs), naturally I painted those absent.

Zeb is normally a bit of an action man: going to the gym; playing basketball; soccer and golf (tempted to say something else here about golf but I will hold my tongue). So this more passive viewpoint reflects only one aspect of who he is and what I see. Also, while he looks passive, the painting doesn’t come with inbuilt sound effects of him shouting down the microphone at his virtual companions, including his brother, in the room next door.

The painting is an intimate portrait of an interior in that it is literally my viewpoint from the doorway. Embedded in that viewpoint is my viewpoint as a mother and all that this implies (love, loss, happiness, disappointment etc). As parents, we project so much onto our children.

I really enjoy the process of looking deeply at something (or someone) when I am trying to paint them. In a sense it makes you see what is actually there, and not what you think is there, and this is very refreshing. Incredibly ‘in the moment’ making.

Picture of Kim, fully assembled, in situ, included for scale.

Edit: there is an art historical context to this painting as well, to do with looking through doorways and windows at people (mostly men at women) in a voyeuristic way but I won’t go into that as it’s a bit complex and long winded. I do have Zeb’s permission to use his image!