Exploring ideas of confinement, our relationship to our immediate environment and the changing emotions that these things have brought about during the current pandemic is the focus of our Winter Show. Each artist was offered the theme of ‘emergence’ to consider and respond to with new work. “Continuing my fascination with the subconscious mind, I look deeper into the idea that our subjective thoughts are enclosed within our fearful, objective mind. This piece was made in response to feelings of isolation and anxiety. It was created before Covid was a word we speak and see multiple times a day. Seeking relief and desiring positivity, the figure emerges from an unpredictable landscape of thoughts, ideas and creativity. It is tentatively discovering what it is like to be free of restrictions and fear. Covid-19 enforced feelings of isolation in many of us but also offers a chance for stillness, creative outlet and learning. In a sense, this piece of work predicted the need for emerging calm amongst chaos. It is a step away from colour palettes I have experimented with in the past and the shades of pink somewhat capture the serenity of night moving into day. ‘ The varying mediums of ink, spray paint and emulsion allow new textures to develop with spontaneity and collaged areas create their own landscape within this work. I utilise as many scraps, offcuts and notes as I can to give the piece a body that has lived through creation, holding on to scars and achievements the same way our mind does.” Rachel Louise Lee