Frida Kahlo

Homage to Frida Kahlo

Homage to Frida Kahlo was created from my long-standing admiration for Frida Kahlo, both as an artist and as a woman who transformed her own experiences into an intensely personal visual language.

I didn't want to reproduce one of Frida's famous self-portraits or create a conventional likeness. Instead, this is my own interpretation of her, painted in my style and inspired by the strength, individuality and symbolism that make her work so recognisable.

I used layers of acrylic, strong colour and a textured surface, combining the portrait with flowing forms influenced by Art Nouveau. Flowers surround her face and appear in her hair, while touches of gold in the headband, earrings and clothing add warmth against the greens, turquoise, red and black.

Colour has never needed to be realistic in my paintings. I often allow colours from the surrounding painting to enter the skin, bringing the figure and background together. Here, Frida's face becomes green and turquoise, emerging from and almost becoming part of the world around her.

Her unmistakable eyebrows remain, of course. Some things simply cannot be negotiated. 😊

And she looks straight at us.

That direct gaze is something that appears again and again in my portraits of women. I want the woman in the painting to have presence, rather than simply being looked at.

Homage to Frida Kahlo is not intended as a portrait of Frida as she actually looked, but as my colourful celebration of an artist whose individuality, courage and creativity continue to inspire.