Zena Blackwell is painter based in Cardiff. She is also the founder of Contemporary Cymru, an instagram blog dedicated to championing contemporary artists by Wales-based & Welsh based artists. Here is Zena photographed at Norbury Rd Studio, Fairwater, Cardiff.
‘floral, fluff, flow’
Oil and acrylic on canvas
65 x 50cm
2018The painting ‘floral, fluff, flow’ was completed in 2018 for my solo show ‘Seen Not Heard’ which was at Cardiff MADE in the November of that year. I won first prize at the MADE Summer Exhibition the year before and the exhibition was my award. It was a very intense year as my youngest child was still at nursery and I managed to complete nearly 30 paintings for the exhibition, which was very well received.
The painting is a twist on the traditional mother and child painting, where the child is the one doing something that is considered ‘maternal’ to the mother (ie me), who is looking a bit overwhelmed.
Lockdown Self Portrait
Pencil on paper
14.6 x 10cm
2020
‘Lockdown Self Portrait’ was completed during the first lockdown in 2020. It was a very difficult time for everyone, and I certainly felt the strain. I found it really suffocating and difficult having to homeschool my two young children and mostly be confined to our home.
To see more of Zena’s work visit www.zenablackwell.com