New Day Rising 2018

Jana Brike’s ‘New Day Rising’ feels like it emerged gently, intuitively into being. The colour palette is muted, with soft greens and creams blending into a dreamlike scene. I imagine Brike working layer by layer, building up the composition, deciding when a mark is finished, or needs to be adjusted. The skin tones have a translucent quality, with delicate shadows suggesting light filtering through leaves. The way the figure is nestled against the tree, cradling herself, evokes both vulnerability and strength. It’s as if she’s part of the landscape, rooted and blooming. Her figures often exist in liminal spaces, caught between worlds, much like Paula Rego’s characters or Francesca Woodman's photographs. There's an exchange here between the artist and the viewer, a shared space of contemplation and possibility, and a sense of art history. This ongoing dialogue across time inspires creativity. I like that.