Giorgia Siriaco
Community, 2014, Mixed Media © Giorgia Siriaco
Haven I, 2015, Mixed media (clay paint, paper, pen, gold leaf) on canvas, (65cm x 65cm)
Haven II, 2015, Mixed media (clay paint, paper, pen, gold leaf) on canvas, (65cm x 65cm) © Giorgia Siriaco
Haven II, 2015, Mixed media (clay paint, paper, pen, gold leaf) on canvas, (65cm x 65cm) © Giorgia Siriaco
Home I, 2015, Mixed media (clay paint, paper, pen, gold leaf) on canvas, (65cm x 65cm) © Giorgia Siriaco
Home II, 2015, Mixed media (clay paint, paper, pen, gold leaf) on canvas, (65cm x 65cm) © Giorgia Siriaco
In balance, 2015, Mixed media (clay paint, paper, pen, gold leaf) on canvas, (65cm x 65cm) © Giorgia Siriaco
Rooted, 2015, Mixed media (clay paint, paper, pen, gold leaf) on canvas, (65cm x 65cm) © Giorgia Siriaco
Shelter, 2015, Mixed media (clay paint, paper, pen, gold leaf) on canvas, (65cm x 65cm) © Giorgia Siriaco
Tide pool, 2015, Mixed media (clay paint, paper, pen, pastel gold leaf) on wood panel, (65cm x 65cm) © Giorgia Siriaco
Giorgia Siriaco works in mixed media, using a combination of clay paint, house paint, pens and pencils, gold leaf and paper to create pieces that have a timeless colour palette and a rich, organic quality. A research scientist by day, with a PhD in Biological Sciences, she started painting in 2013 after taking a mixed media art class. She found the process of working through a painting completely absorbing, and has been painting almost every day since.
Each painting encourages her to step outside her comfort zone. She uses an intuitive process, each layer allowing her to build, strip away, until she can articulate a sensation, starting with an idea and often ending up in a very different place. Painting allows her to let go, to learn that a 'mistake' will simply lead her in another equally rewarding direction. She loves the challenge of finding balance in shapes and colours that feels just right.
Giorgia's work reflects her immediate surroundings - the light, the seasons - in addition to the images she sees while looking down a microscope. Other major influences include the work of the British painter William Scott, the shapes of Matisse, and the colours of Modigliani.
Her current body of work explores how we feel when facing a period of transition, which usually brings up many questions. What shall we do next? Where shall we go? What opportunities will this bring? What will we have to let go of?
The prospect of change makes us question what it is we call home. What are the elements that make us feel at home? Familiar surroundings - furniture, buildings, streets? A particular nuance in the light? A sense of community that makes us feel rooted and safe?
The series has evolved to explore how change brings up our fear of the unknown, our desire to control and predict the future. How do we find balance? How do we learn to live with our fears while allowing the future to blossom into something beautiful?
Giorgia Siriaco's work appears on the cover of the July/August 2015 issue of Resurgence & Ecologist (291) and will be exhibited at TINT-ART Gallery, Chichester, West Sussex from 18 July to 12 September 2015.
