Among Friends

Joni-Leigh Doran 2023
 
oil on canvas 30.5 x 40.5cm on a wooden floating frame 35.5 x 45.5cm.
 
This painting is part of Joni's "Garden of the Beloved" series.
 
"Entering the Garden of the Beloved feels like walking into a nourishing embrace by Mother Nature. For me, it’s the spiritual centre of the village - perhaps even the region. One doesn’t need to know the history of this piece of land to feel the presence of something unusual here. Something sacred. Something very special that softens me into a state of silence and reverence as I marvel at every turn. It’s not only the intricate paths, labyrinths, ponds, flowerbeds and other wonderful surprises that I find so delightfully charming here, it’s the way the light dances through the leaves and flickers through the trees to light up the heart of one of the statues you’re passing by. It’s as if everything in the garden is nourished and cared for by a host of divine energies unseen, yet palpable.
 
This collection of paintings represents fragments of the magical, verdant gardens of Temenos. They serve as random excerpts without the traditional focus on a Subject, portraying instead indiscriminate glimpses of the broader natural environment, which is so expertly embodied by these lush gardens. The idea is to concentrate on Nature as a whole, as an all-encompassing ecosystem, rather than simply focusing on an individual element isolated from the environment it/he/she flourishes in.”
 
Artists' Statement
‘From a tiny rural village in West Bali to an isolated farm in the Klein Karoo, I spent a significant part of my adulthood rebelling against a “conventional life”. I consistently chose to live in places with big skies, wild seas and vast landscapes teeming with life (and as little of the human kind as possible). It was in 2021, shortly before my 40th birthday, that I took up residence in the village of McGregor, “only for a time” I told myself. But once here I realized how much I’d missed the sense of community I never knew I’d been longing for. Living among other creatives and people who, like me, believe in inclusivity, in living lightly and in harmony with nature, it wasn’t long I fell in love and before I knew it, I’d put down roots. I have yet to find a more peaceful and inspiring place to live.’