Artist’s Statement
Requiem is the last in a suite of sixteen floral mandala paintings I made between 2005 and 2012. The first five, formed part of Sacred Yin; my first solo exhibition held with Michael Stevenson in 2005. I then exhibited a suite of seven floral mandalas titled Cape Chakras with Michael Stevenson in 2009. I made four more stand-alone floral mandalas before tackling Requiem, the largest and penultimate work of the series.
In 2013 my Mother passed away, leaving me custodian of her a beautiful garden in Pinelands, Cape Town. Inspired in particular by her Hydrangeas, I made Requiem, in her memory.
The years that followed my mother’s death were dry. The Western Cape received less rainfall each winter leading up to 2017 when we experienced extreme drought conditions and a water crisis. I watched as her Hydrangeas died back. Requiem pays homage to my mother as well as to her beautiful ‘English’ garden of a bygone era.
My paintings from this series mirror the sacred geometry or archetypal energy forms that underpin all creation. Recognizing that our world is out of balance, I consider this by working with the geometrical form that the six vibration generates: the hexagon, and its internal form, two perfectly balanced, interlocking equilateral triangles. This is the most evocative symbol of the spiritual axiom, “As above, so below”.
Six illustrates the relationship of the human and the divine, indicating the importance of balance of the spiritual and the physical, the eternal and the transitory. Six shatters the illusion that polar opposites are totally separate from each other. Six unifies the male and female aspects of our psyche and the perceptual consciousness of the right and left hemispheres of our brain. Six represents co-operation, proportion and harmony.
“These radiating paintings bring our awareness to the intensity of colour and allow us to contemplate our own emotional experiences to the hues. The pulsating contrasts and optical illusions within the compositions mesmerize our minds beyond the finite points of focus to which we are accustomed when viewing the world. In many respects, Payne’s work could be viewed in the tradition of sacred art. The circular canvases recall the stained-glass rose windows of Christianity and the mandalas of Buddhism, among other forms inviting spiritual contemplation. At the same time, her flowers seductively remind us of the cyclical nature of life, death and rebirth; the ravishing blooms will fade and go to seed in the continuing cycles of creation.”
Quote by Michael Stevenson for Cape Chakras, 2008 /9 SUMMER 2009/10 PROJECTS Catalogue
Exhibitions
Paint Matters, Barnard Gallery, 2014
Johannesburg Art Fair, Booth: Barnard Gallery, 2014 Seeking Eden, Casa Labia Gallery, 2014
