Katrina O’Brien’s, Pull Me to the Depths of Your Sea, is part of her solo exhibition, Dream Letter. 

Katrina says of this work: “The ocean is a recurring theme in my works, as are some of the marks surrounding it. What looks like scribble can often be boats; vessels to transport from one physical place to another, but just as useful in a metaphysical landscape. The rich symbolism of these things has been well alive in my works from an early age.

“Just like the work Temple, I wanted to keep this painting simple and uncomplicated and like the title suggests, I wanted the simplicity of colour and marks to pull me in. When I look at this work, I feel that pull and it takes me into a profound, yet humbling space.”

Katrina says of the series: “Borne out of a love of text, a love of writing and a love of dreaming, Dream Letter is an idealistic notion of being able to talk to the Muse. For me, the Muse comes in many forms; whether it be nature, music, intriguing people and interactions. Each of us has different inspirations and things that spark our imagination. Sometimes we search for that muse, but sometimes it unexpectedly finds us. I am forever enchanted by the Muse and all the realms they open up for me. A good Muse opens the floodgates of words and images where dreams, landscapes, narrative and poetry flow like a river.

“The title, Dream Letter, was inspired by the album and song by Tim Buckley with the same name. The song itself is not the inspiration, but the notion of writing a song, a painting or a letter to someone who may never receive it was the fixation of these works. For Tim, it was writing to his son Jeff Buckley, who he tragically never really made an effort to be a father to. Both their lives have always fascinated me—Tim, a bad father with an amazing vocal range, Jeff his son with equally amazing vocal skills—both not wanting anything to do with the other and yet their lives mirrored each other’s in a deeply compelling way. Both had so much talent and yet crumbled under the weight of it all. I sometimes wonder what it would have been like to meet either of them. I wonder about the music they might have made if their fate had been to live on. Some of these imagined conversations play a part in my new works.”

Signed on front.