Portfolio Room from Cathy Read

About London Eye

The size demands attention. There is an instant “Look at me!” sense as the image burns itself on your consciousness. This is no subtle piece. The strong colours and complex textures call for your attention. There's energy and movement. The orange and red snakes their way up the paper. As you look, you see the tension in the cables holding the wheel's shape. You can see it's a wheel but what looks like the upright section is fighting to stretch itself forward. To uncoil itself from captivity and forge a new path.

The cars are bold and detailed lower down but as they become distant their size and definition vanish and merge with a massive structure of the wheel.
The delicate structure of the wheel criss crosses its way upward in an arc of optimism. The base contrast the brilliant colours and delicate structures with earthy solid tones that speak of strength and dependability.

A marriage between masculine and feminine strength. The strength of solid heavy weight next to the strength of structure and unity. The individual components working together to form a strong and dependable Ferris wheel. Each part would fail on its own but together they provide strength and beauty. A fine example of how the whole is more than the sum of its parts.

The painting was part of the Take a Trp to Marylebone Exhibition and the Society of Women Artists exhibition in 2019 at the Mall Galleries.