The first home I owned in Glasgow was a top floor tenement flat in West Princes Street. I could see for miles and loved the expanse of sky and the constantly changing light that the windows framed. The views towards Trinity Towers were an endless source of inspiration.
Painting all aspects of my life there, including friends and family, I was increasingly aware of being very happy. This in turn led to feelings of unease. What might happen to make my safe wee life go wrong?
“Banks paints an appealing intriguing world which initially lulls us into a comfortable familiarity” said art critic Clare Henry in a review for Beaux Art, Bath. “the understated ambiguity lends these peaceful scenes a disquieting edge.”
Windy Day-The Surprise Visitor and No Safety net are two paintings from this period .
In 2006 I heard a radio interview with Julie Myerson about her book ‘Home‘. She had researched everyone who had ever lived in her Victorian house in London. With this in mind I decided to paint the new residents of my old flat in West Princes Street. I missed it as a visual source and wondered how I would connect with the space after so long. Had I left any traces behind or would I simply recreate them from memory in the new paintings ? A selection of work from this period was exhibited in Cyril Gerber Fine Art. ‘The Consolation of Memory‘ and ‘The Dolls House‘ are both from this period.
When I contacted Julie Myerson to tell her about the paintings, she commented “Something about the idea of what comes after us is even more slippery than what came before“
Lesley Banks
The Surprise Visitor
100cm x 105cm - Oil on Canvas - 1991
The 39th Week Waiting
75cm x 80cm - Oil on Canvas - 1993
Playing With Fire
90cm x 145cm - Oil on Canvas - 1990
No Safety Net
120cm x 170cm - Oil on Canvas - 1990
Closed Curtains
80cm x 110cm - Oil on Canvas - 1991
Through the Door
20cm x 20cm - Oil on Board - 2007
The Sleeping Room
30cm x 30cm - Oil on canvas - 2007
The Doll's House
76cm x 81cm - Oil on Canvas - 2007
Consolation of Memory
76cm x 81cm - Oil on Canvas - 2006
Alexander's Dark Band
76cm x 81cm - Oil on Canvas - 2006