A nest signifies protection and security. In this sense its application can be extended to other devices which serve the same purpose. A turtle’s shell, the husk which encloses the seed of a plant, the exoskeleton of an insect, your home.

A nest protects what is essential and vulnerable. A defenseless chick lives out its early life in a high nest, guarded by its parents, till it can fly. For turtles and tortoises their shells are both home and armour, a traveling fortress. Plants can safely allow the wind to disperse their seeds because they are closed in a husk which protects them from harm.

In some cases a nest is the temporary refuge for early life. When chicks learn to fly they leave the nest. When a plant’s seed finds nurturing soil it discards its husk to begin its destined life.

In other cases a nest is the permanent condition of life. A turtle cannot leave its shell, which determines its whole existence. And, though we may change homes in our progress through life, we always make sure we have one. To be regarded as homeless is to be seen as vulnerable and imperilled.

My Nest paintings attempt to encompass all of these aspects of protection and security or the consequences of their loss.