The House of Windsor

My recent work revolves around the royal family, based in part on childhood memories of primary school in Guyana, where decorating/defacing the Queen's image on our exercise books was a severely punishable offence.

The following images are representative of an ongoing series called "The House of Windsor," based on images from books bought in jumble sales, charity shops, and market stalls. Influences include the drawings of Van Gogh, Outsider Art, Kuba masks (Zaire), and Victorian colored printed scraps.

This series has developed into an interest in images of glamour and power and how this has changed in the lifetime of the current British monarchy. My feelings about the Queen and the royal family are ambivalent, and I am fascinated by the sometimes rapid change in public opinion about them.

There is a well-established custom of royalty being presented with images of themselves made by peoples from all over the world in their local style. There now exists a body of work representing members of the current royal family: Yoruba carvings, Indian miniatures, embroideries, printed Nigeria textiles. I am merely following in this tradition! In this Golden Jubilee year schoolchildren will no doubt be continuing my childhood tradition of drawing the Queen and sending them off to be added to the Palace collection

December 2003