‘Freshwater Flow – an Offering to Clota’
‘Clota’ was the name that the Romans called the river in Glasgow. This was a Latinized form of the native Brittonic word ‘Clut’ or ‘Clud’, thought to mean "the cleansing one" or “she who is pure” and linked to Clota a Celtic river goddess. Clota played an important role in Celtic mythology and was seen as a powerful water deity. River goddesses were not only worshipped but also celebrated ceremonies that honoured their presence as living entities embodying the essence of the goddess.
Through years of industrialisation and pollution, the sacredness of these waterways has gradually diminished yet there is a movement towards protecting these ancient waterways as their innate value for wildlife and biodiversity are recognised as well as the sheer joy of being in the presence of such a vibrantly beautiful body of water.
Living close to this ancient river in its mid-way stretch, this set of paintings respond to the ever-changing shapes and colours as they rise from the river bed up and through to the bubbling surface where it meets the riverbank’s tangled vegetation.