Twirlers 2019

Zoe Hawk made this painting, Twirlers, using oil paint. It’s like a memory, a faded photograph. Hawk has a playful way with oil, laying it down in thin washes, almost like watercolour, to create a world that's both real and a bit dreamlike. Look at the girl on the ground. You can almost feel the rough pavement under her palms. Hawk isn't trying to hide the process. You can see each individual stroke of the brush, the way the paint catches the light, and how the brick wall rises up behind the girls, almost like the stage in a theatre. The marks are simple, but the feeling is huge. I see echoes of Balthus in the way Hawk captures these awkward, almost unsettling moments of adolescence. Both artists have this knack for finding the strange beauty in everyday life. Art’s always a conversation, right? A way of seeing what others have seen, but through your own eyes.