New Star Rising 2017

Jana Brike made this luminous painting, New Star Rising, with what looks like delicate brushwork and translucent layers of oil paint. The way she builds up the figure and the background, it's like watching a dream unfold, stroke by careful stroke. I'm really drawn to how she renders skin. See how the light seems to emanate from within? There’s this vulnerability in the way she captures the subtle shifts in color, the almost imperceptible shadows. And that simple blue star, like a child's drawing, feels both fragile and bold against the flesh. It reminds me of early Renaissance painting. Brike's paintings often have this otherworldly quality, this blend of innocence and something darker, more knowing. Like Paula Rego, she's interested in the way stories and symbols can shape our understanding of ourselves. Ultimately, it's about embracing the messy, contradictory nature of being human.