Caramel Popcorn

My new collection is here! 2022 has been the best year for my business and I want to celebrate it. This exhibition is called ‘Feels like home’ and it is a collection of paintings which are abstract in their style and I would love you to read more about them in the description below.

To find out more about specific paintings or to purchase please chat to me tonight or e mail hello@alyharte.com and I will be in touch with further details.

‘Feels like home… changing the language of loss’

Grief made a mark on my life when my Dad died in 1991. It was exactly one week before my 8th birthday and a distinct memory I have is when he promised to make my party in a wheelchair.

I have a strong interest in psychology and how the human brain works. The age of eight is a pinnacle age for young children’s awareness. So, from my eighth birthday, although I only remember Mr wimpy’s striped suit (the Northern Irish equivalent of McDonalds in the 90s) and my Mum’s calf skimming flowery skirt ( evident appreciation of good costumes) I knew my life had changed.

Change is something I want to bring about with this exhibition of paintings. Specifically changing the language of loss. For many years I was pitied and sometimes teased because of the existence that I lived. My Mum held the candle after Dad died and to this day she is my hero.

Nonetheless, grief overshadowed a bit of who I was. I tried endlessly to make people laugh because it was a better fit for me than watching them cry. I’d rather please the masses than cause disruption or  fuel a fire of concern.

I believe that there is good in the language of loss also. I am able to recognise empathy. I know that someone dying is so very real. I’m not afraid to help you talk about the everyday moments you shared with them. The t shirt they wore, a day trip to the coast, their song on the radio, an ice cream with chocolate sauce or Saturday newspaper that makes you look twice.

I  journey my loss through the application of paint. I would love you to join me and to recognise placing importance on everyday moments, memories, places and things that weave together this thing we call life.

Thick paint, expressive brush marks and scores of graphite make up my latest body of emotionally rich paintings. The paintings are aptly named ‘Feels like home’ because they are an extension of me. They hold the beautiful tension between loss, humour and joy that I have grown up in. Abstract in style and uplifting in their display.

Enjoy your own association and nostalgia as you view each piece. Make sure to check out the name of the painting to provoke your own memory of the subject at hand.

Thank you for viewing,

Aly