The images that recur in Irene Hardwicke Olivieri's paintings inhabit a landscape where human and animal life intersect, intermingle and sometimes collide. In Catamount, the man with the head of a mountain lion, seems to possess a keen awareness, instinct and inner fierceness.  He is surrounded by aphrodisiac plants and text in microscopic letters describing the many uses of plants for love, courtship and sexual excitement going back to the Middle Ages.

The work, As trees from tiny seeds suggests our shared origins in the potent seed, the source of life. Painted on discarded wood panels and infused with obsession, the work is reminiscent of folk art but the painting itself belies the artist’s close observation of botany. For more information www.irenehardwickeolivieri.com