Davina Jackson paints intimate studies of the family dynamic, where the relationship between husband and wife, parent and child take centre stage. Through tonality and form, she acutely conveys a subtle dialogue of care and affection, where embracing figures recline and comfort in the presence of the other. Though there is drama in these worlds too, as powerful contrasts in colour incur vivid motion and animation upon these figures that move towards and away from each other, as if dancing.
These are not simply paintings of the domestic world with soft walls and gentle light, but works that interrogate and encapsulate a distinctive bond between subjects. Within this space, Jackson does not simply depict romantic love, but a mature and intimate portrayal of kinship and respect.
The story of Icarus is a recurrent theme. His falling image features in several paintings, operating as both symbol and compositional device. The paintings are theatrical. Subjects are arranged and displayed in a painted arena, a dramatic space in which to promote varying themes, typically of human encounter, interaction and solitude. This is where the artist lays out and considers the 'intimate relationships and emotional states' important to her.
